A Little More Than Infatuation
by Cutie5
Summary: When everyone in Retroville finds out about Jimmy and Cindy's feelings towards each other, Cindy's mother is completely against their relationship. Will our favorite couple be able to stay together, or become torn apart? Chapter 19 uploaded 10-9-12.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_A/N: I'm pretty tapped out on ideas for 'The Strangest Phenomena' at the present moment. I hope I'll be able to generate some more ideas soon, but for right now I hope you will enjoy this new JC fic. Again, this is a POV story, but I think it'll be from Cindy's point of view this time, instead of from both Jimmy and Cindy's. It also takes place after another Jimmy Neutron episode that hasn't aired quite yet. They're still eleven years old._

**_Cindy _**

It had been known to everyone in town that I was dating Jimmy Neutron. I didn't know if I was embarrassed, annoyed, or even uncomfortable about it, but I really didn't want just _everyone_ knowing that something was going on between us. Libby knowing about it was enough, but when she finally exposed my secret to everyone, I wanted to kill her. He never, EVER saw me telling everyone I knew that she had a thing for Sheen—she'd be the laughingstock of Retroville if I did that. I doubt she'd even speak to me again.

But even Libby knows that I can never stay mad at her for long. My other friends and I taught her a lesson, I forgave her a few days later, and things were back to what was as normal as they could be considering that our reputations would never exactly be the same. I should probably be fortunate that the teasing has been on a low level every time Jimmy and I have been seen with each other. I hung around him and his friends enough as it was way before hardly anyone knew how we felt, so I suppose most of the people I know are just used to seeing me with him.

Unfortunately, there was a dark cloud hanging over my true happiness—my mother. She absolutely revolted the idea of me even being seen with someone of a much lower economic status than my family. True, we are somewhat richer, and my mother's differences with Jimmy's mother were almost as great as they had once been between Jimmy and I, but I seriously don't think that wealth and status should interfere with how I truly feel about someone, much less my happiness. It was for these reasons that my mother starting keeping an even closer eye on me than usual. Every time I went out, she asked me where I was going and how I was going with. She constantly spied on my telephone conversations and my chatting activity online. She knew I only talked to Libby most of the time (I only talked to Jimmy on the sly when she wasn't around), and maybe even Jimmy's friends on occasion—not all the time.

The only alone time I ever had with Jimmy was either before or after school and I could tell he was just as frustrated with my situation as I was. We hadn't even been on a real date yet, other than Valentine's Day a year ago, but due to the impact of the pheromone, his feelings weren't exactly real yet. For the most part, Jimmy kept busy with his inventions and I worked on my homework, spent time with Libby, or watched TV. I started to miss all of the intergalactic trips I used to take with Jimmy and his friends, the rare conversations he and I would have for hours (not that there were many times we got to have those because of our once constant bickering), and even just working with him on a project. I had to face it—I missed just _being _with him! I'd almost even started wondering if this relationship would even work between us.

I let my thoughts drift past to a few days ago. We had another one of our arguments, but it wasn't anything like the ones we once had.

"Cindy, you know we haven't even spent one minute alone together since you've been restricted. If we're even going to have a relationship, we have to spend a little time together!"

"Well, it's not like we can take up fighting each other again. Things have changed! When my mother thought we hated each other, I could go where I wanted and talk to whomever I pleased. She never checked on me!"

"So you're saying now that _she_ knows how we feel you aren't allowed to do anything? We can't keep going on like this—if we're not going to try to be together, we'll only have to go back to pretending we hate each other and everyone in school is sick of that!"

I turned away from him and sighed, pacing up and down the sidewalk outside of school.

"What am I supposed to do, Jimmy, sneak out of the house and defy her?"

"That sounds like a logical idea."

"What! You know I can't just do that!"

"And why not, Vortex? Afraid that you'll be seen with me in front of anyone you might know? You seem to be forgetting that everyone knows about us!"

"Well, I can't IMAGINE why, Neutron! You're the one that took me out into the open to make your confession!"

"How was I supposed to know where to take you? There aren't that many places we could go for privacy!"

"Well, seeing as you're the genius around here I think you should know!"

"Why do you always have to be so difficult!" he growled, with a venomous tone in his voice.

I hadn't ever realized how we always kept standing closer and closer to each other every time we got into our usual fights. Where we were standing that day was the closest we had ever stood since the day he confessed to me how he felt. Our arguments didn't last as long as they used to.

The expression on my face had softened, and so had Jimmy's. I could see the look of guilt in his eyes. I had it too. We still had our debates over many different issues, but we knew there was nothing that could be done about the current problems we were facing. Yelling at each other was most definitely not going to fix them. He knew just as well as I did that I wanted to spend time with him, but everything was complicated now. We couldn't have that secret relationship we both wanted. It really wasn't his fault the whole town knew. We had that false sense of security that we were actually alone that fateful day, unaware of who was watching us.

He pulled me into a warm embrace and gazed into my eyes. He put one of his hands on my face as we both leaned in to kiss each other. I could smell his shampoo as we drew ever so closer, and my entire body ached, I missed him so bad. Just when our lips barely touched, as luck would have it, my phone alarm rang.

I looked at my watch and glanced back up at him in disappointment. I was almost late for my piano lesson. Oh, how I hated piano lessons. My mother definitely had kept me busier than usual so that I wouldn't have any time to even _think_ of Jimmy much less talk to him. I mentally made time for him in my own mind regardless of anything she said against it. I spent more time inside of my own daydreams, which were actually a whole lot more interesting than my boring weekly routine.

"I have to go," I whispered as we pulled away from each other.

We had only kissed that one time since he made the confession and that was weeks ago. Now that I was busy, we were constantly being interrupted every single time we were in the moment. We basically had zero alone time.

I could see the look of annoyance return to his face. I hated doing this to him—it just wasn't fair!

"I know. You always have to be someplace," he said, as he turned and walked away.

It was at that moment that angry tears stung my face. How dare my own mother interfere with my love life! It shouldn't be any business of hers who I date, and anyone who says that eleven years old is too young for a relationship ought to be punched. I'm mature enough to handle one, and a lot stronger than most other girls. And even Neutron's gotten the hang of it too. He's become a lot more in control of his emotions. Granted, he still has a ways to go, since it is a proven fact that girls mature quicker than boys do, but he's doing a whole lot better. I've never felt more comfortable with anyone.

More than anything I wanted to run after him and tell him I could make up for all of this. I wanted to apologize, because I was the one that was causing him all of this pain. I was the reason why he became angry with me every time something didn't work out. We had to find some way of making this relationship work, before we went back to loathing each other again. Hate was the only alternative to love, and if being together didn't work, the only other choice would be to go back to how it was before, whether we wanted to or not. And no matter how much I kept telling myself, and even Jimmy that we could never go back to hating each other, I just knew that he had already started to become annoyed with me again just like old times.

I slowly trudged off to my piano lesson, vowing to myself that I would at least try to call him tonight. My mother was actually going out for awhile a little bit later that night, and I knew I could sneak it in. Maybe there was still a way I could find some time to have at least one date with him, if we were both sneaky enough to pull it off without anyone ever knowing about it. Even if it were only for a few minutes alone with no one else around, just that short amount of time together would make me the happiest girl on Earth.

* * *

It was only a few days after our argument that I found a note carefully placed in my locker. I automatically knew it was from Jimmy, so I pulled it out and quickly opened it.

_Cindy,_

_If you really meant what you said to me over the phone about spending some time with me, there's a place I used to spend hours of my time going to when I wanted to be alone, and I want to show you. Although it's a secret, and I can't tell you about it until we get there, it's in a place where no one would find us. I hardly even think anyone would ever know we were there, and you wouldn't get into any trouble._

_If you're interested, let me know soon._

_Jimmy_

I almost wanted to squeal with joy as I folded the piece of paper back up and stuffed it into my binder. He wanted to take me someplace special with _him_—and to a place not even his goofy friends even had any knowledge of!

Maybe there was hope for us still.


	2. Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

I decided to meet up with Jimmy as soon as we got out of school, even though I knew I had to be home right away. That was the least of my worries because every now and then I stayed after school to work on projects or participate in clubs. Thursdays were days I typically didn't have anything going on except extra curricular activities. It was the only way I was allowed to stay after school at all, period without too much suspicion from my mother. I had been able to convince her that somehow, school involvement would help me to become more of a leader than ever before and that it would prepare me for real-life situations and look good on my resume. I have a resume in the 5th grade, believe it or not—my mother makes me keep track of everything I do, which is completely nerve-wracking!

I highly doubted missing my meetings today would have a big impact anyway. I had plenty of friends that could tell me what I missed, and I had never been more excited about meeting with Jimmy! I was absolutely DYING to know where he was going to take me, even though I knew he wasn't going to tell me until we were there. What we had to do first was decide when we were going and how I could get out of the house and return home in a reasonable fashion so there wouldn't be any way I could get into trouble.

When I came out of the school building, I saw him talking to his friends, Carl and Sheen, as usual. He glanced over at me and immediately sent his friends offas heran over to meet me.

"Score! Jimmy's got a date with Cindy!" shouted Sheen over his shoulder.

"I always knew you could do it, Jim!" Carl said as he slapped him on the back.

We both rolled our eyes. Jimmy's friends were getting even more ridiculous by the day. I really couldn't be mad at him for telling his friends about what went on with us, but they always seemed to react to our relationship immaturely.

We didn't feel comfortable about kissing in public with others around, so he grabbed my left hand instead.

"I take it you received my note today?" he asked as we started walking.

I just looked up at him and smiled in acknowledgement of what he said.

"I thought maybe we could hang out in my lab and talk there."

"Okay," I replied as I started looking at the ground with that uneasy feeling I got every time I was defying my mother.

"And you're positive you don't have any lessons or practices to go to?" he questioned incredulously.

I squeezed his hand and tried my hardest to give him the most confident look I could give him.

"My friends can tell me what I missed from my club meetings. That's all I'm missing today—no lessons or practices, I promise. We really do need to talk, and that's more important right now."

We had this shortcut we'd take to get to his house, and since his lab was behind there anyway, we took the same path to get there. Jimmy and I always tried to break a record for getting to his house in the shortest amount of time possible. Holding onto each other's hands tightly, we started to run as fast as we could, which was a whole lot of fun. We would laugh and make silly bets that we could never break our ridiculous records we were trying to set as we were running. Today, however, was a little different. As we were running, we both stared into each other's eyes and smiled. It was one of those rare moments we actually shared where we could become happy with each other's company. I had finally gotten Jimmy out of the seriousness of school and his experiments and brought out the spontaneous side of him I always knew he had. This was the Jimmy I fell in love with the most—he was the same boy genius who wasn't afraid to take risks, but he was a lot more fun to be with. And not once has anything he's said to me in the last few weeks even bored me at all. He really is the most interesting person I've ever met.

When we reached the lab, we were both tired. I actually hadn't been inside his lab in a long time and had to know if he ever fixed that DNA scanner of his to allow me access inside. The last time we were in there, it denied me access and bounced me off the premises. I had never been so angry with Jimmy in my life that day—I only wanted to visit him after all.

"Don't worry, Cindy. I reprogrammed the scanner after what happened last time. There shouldn't be a problem with you coming to see me anymore," he told me as we entered.

I quickly glanced at my watch to see what time it was. I had well over a half-hour left and could only hope that would be enough time for us to talk. I had always been fascinated with this place, forever wondering how Jimmy was able to multitask so many things. His lab and his crazy experiments must have been part of the reason what I was so jealous of him. I wanted to outdo everything he could, especially when it came to school, but I never had all the resources he did. I was only able to use whatever I had, which was never enough. My mother could never understand why my grades weren't ever as good as they once were before Jimmy came to town.

"This…Jimmy isn't any better than you, Cynthia. You aren't applying yourself enough."

"But Mom, I don't have a lab! There's no way I can beat Neutron at his own game unless I switch schools or _he_ moves!"

It's no wonder why I hated Jimmy so much. My own mother was giving me all these pointless reasons to hate him simply because I wasn't as smart as he was, and my grades were only A's with the occasional A+. I really didn't think that was a big deal. He could be a bit of a showoff at times with his inventions, but who wouldn't be if you had something you were dying to show someone? Fighting him over what we had and didn't have especially dealing with IQ was absolutely ridiculous. I wanted a much more serious relationship than that, and the more I knew about him through our adventures the more interested in him I became. I didn't want a love/hate relationship anymore—I wanted something more.

I'll never forget the only time we had kissed. It was completely unexpected and the most spectacular feeling I had ever felt. I can't even describe exactly how it felt except that when our lips touched this magical feeling swept over me. It was at that moment that I knew he cared for me a great deal; he had just been slower than I was at showing it. I was a complete mystery to him because of the fact that I was a girl, but I never thought or even felt the same way as he did because I knew what I wanted. Jimmy was confused because I was all about the drama. Anytime he even looked at another girl, I became jealous and lashed out at him or his "love interest" in a fit of rage. He never understood why I was like that because I never exactly told him how I felt.

It was because of those situations that I had begun to feel self-conscious about myself. I started to think I wasn't good enough for him—that I wasn't what he was looking for. He had once admired girls more for their beauty than their brains. I did everything I could to become what he had wanted in the sense of beauty, but no matter how hard I tried, he never noticed me, or at least I never thought he did. I hadn't even thought about that stuff until Betty Quinlan started hanging around him so much, because at first, I was more focused on competing in school for the top grades to even care about how I looked.

When I look back on it all, I felt pretty foolish. I was the one Jimmy really wanted all along. I think what made him finally notice me was the fact that the other girls he had taken an interest to were purely phony. They had no interest in him at all whatsoever—they just manipulated his feelings and took advantage of his emotions. What he saw in me was that my feelings for him were real and that I had more to offer him because we had known each other a lot longer. We interacted with each other every day even if it was insulting and ridiculing each other, he always invited me on his adventures, or I invited myself which he would normally go along with, and when we wanted to, we worked as a team pretty well. He hardly ever asked any of his supposed love interests to do anything with him. They'd never be fascinated with his passions for space travel and knowledge like I was, though I never wanted to admit that as risky as his trips were, they were a whole lot of fun and definitely an escape from my boring life.

"Cindy, did you want something to drink?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I nervously fidgeted my hands as I looked at the floor. It had been awhile since we had more than 5 minutes of alone time and I was still adjusting to our new relationship.

"No, I'm okay."

He walked over to me and sat down, placing an arm around me with a concerned expression on his face.

"You sure you're okay? You haven't said much since we got here."

"Yeah…why wouldn't I be?"

He tilted my face upward as he looked into my eyes again. I couldn't help but become lost in his eyes and for some reason, he always thought my eyes had this hypnotizing effect on him.

"I don't know…you just look so uncomfortable."

I knew I didn't have much time left to discuss the date he had planned for us, so I quickly decided to change the subject before we got lost in another moment.

"When did you want to take me to that place you told me about?"

"Well, when you are next free? Are you allowed to go anywhere on the weekends anymore?"

"Libby and I were supposed to go to a concert on Sunday. We bought our tickets and I even showed them to my mother to prove that we were going. I think she trusts me enough to know that nothing will happen if I'm with her, but I just might be able to get out of it. Libby knows we've been trying to plan this for a long time."

I noticed Jimmy looking through his schedule. He's always extremely busy with his experiments and I doubt that will never change no matter how many things about him had.

"Are you sure? Spending time with Libby at a concert would be a lot more fun than any boring place I could take you."

Looking up at him I could see that look of possible rejection as if I were trying to back out on the little adventure he was trying to give me.

"I have a recital next weekend and a karate tournament the week after that. I don't know when I'll be free again…Jimmy, I want to go. Please?"

He scribbled something in his day planner and then looked back at me.

"We can take the hovercar if you wish. It'll get us to our destination quicker and we'll have more time to spend while we're there. What time were you supposed to be at the concert?"

"Seven thirty," I replied. "I don't really think Libby is going to mind. I know she'd probably rather take Sheen or someone else anyway."

His expression changed dramatically while we were talking. He looked guilty, which started to worry me.

"Cindy, I need to be honest with you. I wasn't in one of my best moods when I wrote that note to you. As much as I would like you to accompany me on this date, I'm not going to force you into it. This whole…relationship concept is new to me. It isn't something I'm very experienced with. I don't think that…well…maybe you're right. We shouldn't be meeting like this behind your mom's back. It isn't right."

"But Jimmy—"

"The last thing I want is you getting into trouble because of me. There might be someone else you'd feel more comfortable being with."

"Jimmy—"

"I only want you to be happy, Cin. If your happiness is going to be obstructed because of something I did—"

"Neutron! Listen to me! I _am_ happy! You make me happier than I've ever been in my whole life. I'm sick of my mother telling me I'm not old enough to date, much less the fact that she thinks you aren't even worthy of me! You don't even know what I have to put up with at home. My mom's always pushing for me to be the best at everything, even if it means stepping on everyone else to stay on top. You might be a lot smarter than I am, but I only hated you because I knew what my mother would think if I let you take my number one spot in school. My report cards were never good enough for her because she knew you were doing better than I was. The more I was pressured into achieving the only sort of greatness that she would be able to respect, the more I hated you. I loathed you because I had suspected you were the reason why my mother was pressuring me at home and that you were keeping me from living my old life. I wanted it back! When I was the smartest, my mother respected me more and made me feel like I was so special. I thought that as long as I was making her happy, nothing could possibly go wrong in my perfect life. Now, all she does is nag me to death. The only person in my life that makes me feel wanted and appreciated is you. If we don't have each other, I'm nothing. We go back to hating each other, and feeling miserable because we never tried to work things out. Jimmy, we've been through a lot together. I want to spend some time alone with you."

If it's one thing I couldn't stand, it was Jimmy trying to back out on commitment. We can't just be together, but never do anything together. Talking for maybe five minutes at school isn't enough, and we're always making and breaking dates because of my new life. If we didn't try, we'd never be able to.

He walked back over to me and sat down, carefully wording his response to my long explanation.

"I'm not very good at showing my affection towards you, Cindy. It's really hard for me to show you exactly how I feel. But if you're positive that you want to try, I'll do my best."

I could see the look of excitement on his face as we continued our planning. I had already planned on looking nice for him, even though he advised me to come as I was. When I told Libby the news that night, she couldn't wait to do a makeover. I had also been correct on my theory—she had really wanted Sheen to go with her to the concert, and I was more than happy to give her my ticket.

I couldn't wait for that Sunday. I was so excited!


	3. Preparations

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

Jimmy and I hadn't spoken much to each other in the few days before our date. We were still trying to keep a low profile even though everyone knew about us. We still couldn't help but glance at each other every now and thenhe'd even quickly wrap his arm around me occasionally before or after school and maybe brush his lips by my ear in attempt to sneak a quick kiss, but that was about it. I couldn't help but notice that he was carrying around a dating book with him. He didn't realize it, but I had noticed him reading it every now and then, especially at lunch. I'd overhear him talking about it with his friends and hearing the occasional teasing, especially from Sheen.

"Man, you've never put the moves on Cindy before? Libby knows just what kind of moves she likes, don't you Libs?"

Libby would usually walk over and give him what for, for even joking with his friends about their relationship—not like Jimmy wouldn't do that sometimes, but his jokes were way more subtle than that. He knows that I'd pound him if he ever said anything that would offend me. This is something he learned back when we used to argue all the time.

After school on Friday, I quickly headed home to go through my wardrobe. I had some homework I had to do anyway, so my mother wouldn't be the wiser if I just came home and stayed in my room most of the night to complete it while spending some quality time with my closet. I couldn't believe how many clothes I actually owned that I never even wore. Every day I had always worn the same old green striped halter and khaki pedal pushers, which might have been okay for pretty much everything except a date. My regular clothes simply wouldn't do. I had to find something that was cute, but practical. I didn't want to overdress for the date, but at the same time I didn't want to wear the same old thing either. I wanted Jimmy to see me for more than just my intellect that nightI really wanted to impress him.

I tried on outfit after outfit for what seemed like hours. I couldn't find anything that looked nice enough. I mostly had dresses, fancy gowns—all kinds of outfits that one would wear to fancy, dressy occasions, like my piano recitals I had to attend or fancy dinners my mother forced me into every now and then. It was when I thought that all hope was lost that I found a shimmery black halter top with a great pair of jeans. I had completely forgotten I had an outfit like that. I then remembered when I bought them—it was one of those rebel moments I had gone through, about the time I bought the current outfit I was wearing to school every day and I remember going through some of the fancier halter tops on one of the nicer racks. Sometimes having money can definitely be an advantage when you find something you really want. I remember trying on the halter with a pair of jeans I was uncertain of buying, and completely falling in love with the outfit. I never knew when, where or even if I'd wear it at all…I had purchased the outfit on an impulse.

The next issue was my hair. First it was pigtails all the way up until the middle of my 5th grade year, and by then I had decided that one ponytail was much more mature. Now, it was becoming evident that ponytails were way too childish. I had to find a hairstyle that looked more mature for my age, at least for only one night. I carefully pulled the ponytail holder that was holding my ponytail out of my hair and started to brush it. It always had a nice ripple effect, but was way too frizzy to keep down which was probably one of the reasons I had decided to wear it up in the first place. I found a can of some type of herbal hairspray I had purchased a long time ago on my dresser and started to spray some into my hair as I continued brushing. The end result was absolutely amazing; it looked thicker and fuller than I could possibly have imagined. All I needed was to borrow some makeup from Libby during my quick makeover on Sunday and the outfit would be complete. I already looked at least 3 or 4 years older the way I was dressed now.

With my homework finally completed, my pointless chores accomplished, and a wardrobe for my date, Sunday was finally here and I was a complete wreck that day scrambling to make sure I had everything. I was nervous because I knew I was going to be defying an adult for the sake of my happiness and also because of the fact I was going to be with Jimmy for more than a total of five minutes and on bit of a romantic level that I wasn't sure I'd be ready for. Maybe Jimmy was feeling the same way I was, which hopefully, wouldn't make me feel so bad. I also hadn't slept the past few nights which left my body completely drained. Fortunately, I was way too ecstatic to even think about sleep—I had a date!

While I was dressing later on that evening, I started to wonder where Jimmy had planned on taking me—there were only so many places you could go in Retroville, and I knew almost every single place there was. There couldn't possibly have been a place he could take me that I didn't have any knowledge of, but I was only hoping I'd be wrong. I loved secret places.

I had a mixture of feelings that began to surface: excitement, fear and nerves. I didn't know where I was going to be, whether or not my date would even turn out at all, or how suspicious my mother would be if she found out who I was really going to be with. I dug around in my closet for a new pair of sneakers I had recently bought. Those old brown shoes I normally wore were simply not going to work, and they definitely didn't match my outfit. I still had to go to Libby's for my makeover, especially since I was completely out of eye makeup. I couldn't be caught dead without that. Jimmy and I had also agreed to meet there so there wouldn't be any cause for suspicion.

I glanced at my alarm clock and noticed it was already a quarter to seven. I had to leave right away if I was supposedly heading towards the concert. I quickly checked to see if everything looked okay, and even ran the brush through my hair one more time. I looked fairly decent, but it was up to Libby to make me look a bit more glamorous.

Hoping I wouldn't have any confrontation with my mother, I quickly raced down the stairs, headed for the door. Unfortunately, my mother was waiting for me as I grabbed the doorknob.

"Cynthia, why are you going to a concert dressed like that?" she asked, eyeing my outfit suspiciously.

I didn't think I looked that suspicious. I wasn't dressed that flashy for a supposed concert anyway—it was as if my mother expected me to dress in the same clothes all the time.

I was already running a little late as it was, and I wanted to leave. Coming up with excuses was something I was truly bad at, but I had to come up with almost anything to get me out the door.

"It's the latest thing...everyone dresses up for concerts! And I didn't feel like wearing my usual clothes." I said confidently, hoping that would be enough.

By the frown of disapproval on her face, I just knew she didn't want me going out that night.

"Well, it's only one night, I suppose," she replied looking up at the wall clock above, "Just be home at 9:30. You know you have school tomorrow."

"9:30! Everyone else is staying until at least 10." I sighed impatiently.

"9:30. You don't need to be gallivanting around at all hours of the night. You've spent way too much time doing that with that Neutron boy and his "friends", and I don't want you participating in their activities anymore. You may go to the concert with Libby but nothing further."

"But, mom, I'm not even going anywhere near Neutron's house! I just want to have a good time with my friends…I'm always at school or at a practice all the time now that you've kept me busy."

"Cynthia, you're only eleven years old. I have my rules and you must follow them. You either come home at 9:30 or stay in your room. I will not tolerate any insubordination."

I missed the mother that let me do whatever I wanted. Back when I hated Jimmy, I could do almost anything I wanted. Now it was, 'make sure you go to practice' and 'be home on time'. I had very little time for any fun at all period. I came to the realization at that moment that it was better to be home on time and still have my secret getaway with Jimmy, than to not even go at all.

"Okay. I'll be home at 9:30."

I left the house with a sigh of relief and quickly headed to Libby's. Arguing with my mother left me even later than I wanted to be. As I was walking, I quickly looked across the street at Jimmy's house. Living across from him all these years was more of a curse than a blessing, or so I had thought at the time. He was always busy toying away at his inventions, or nearly killing himself in his lab with those loud explosions. The fact that he practically drove me crazy with it all made me forget that there was more to him than just his IQ level. He was talented, creative, and when he had wanted to be he could be really sweet.

Libby was a bigger makeup freak than I was, so I just knew she'd have the perfect makeup for my complexion. I really didn't want to wear much, but enough so Jimmy would notice. I couldn't believe I actually cared about him noticing me or not. I had never cared before, but I also knew that Jimmy was probably going to be trying to impress me for the same reasons I was. We never saw each other for more than our competitive natures until recently. We had our fears, wishes, hopes, and dreams ahead of us, and a strong relationship that still needed to be built. I think our first real date was the first step that had to be taken so that we'd know about where we stood. And I think we both deserved a little romance with all that had been going on with us, especially after our unknown public confessions we made to each other a month or so before.

After a walk that seemed to be never-ending, I finally reached Libby's house. She was already waiting for me as she opened the door the minute I came up the walk.

"Girl, where were you? Jimmy's coming in 15 minutes, and Sheen and I are leaving for the concert after you guys leave!" she exclaimed, quickly eyeing my attire, "Your outfit's so cute, and—oh my gosh you're wearing your hair down! It's really pretty! But you can't go anywhere without makeup. Where's your eyeliner and eyeshadow?"

"I…sort of ran out of it yesterday," I replied sheepishly.

Libby grabbed my arm and quickly pulled me into the house. "We've got no time to waste! To my room!"


	4. Nothing to Fear

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

Libby and I were sprawled across her bed with a large cosmetic organizer filled with different colors of eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, and at least 10 different flavors of lip-gloss. She had pulled out a much darker shade of green eyeshadow for me to wear, along with black eyeliner and a pale shade of blush. It was pretty much my choice which lip-gloss I wanted, since they were different flavors and they were all clear.

While she was doing my eyes, we engaged in an interesting conversation.

"So, Cin, you think you two might actually share a kiss for once? Well, I mean, other than that one time where everyone saw you…"

I blushed and started feeling even more nervous. He might even actually try to hold me or put his arm around me—those thoughts had never occurred to me!

"I don't know…we might," I replied in a shaky voice.

"Jimmy really likes you a lot—he's always talking about you every time I'm around him and his friends. He's definitely changed his attitude about you."

I looked at her skeptically. "What does he say about me?"

"Well," she said as she started to apply some blush to my cheeks, "he's always telling me how pretty you are, and especially how much nicer you've been to him now that you guys are together, although I really don't think he likes the situation with your mom too much. Sometimes I'll see him walking home with this scowl on his face, as if he was annoyed with you like old times or something—this color looks really good on you!"

I couldn't wait to see a mirror. I had no clue how I even looked at all, except that I hoped I looked presentable. The more we kept talking about Jimmy, the more nervous I had become. This wasn't like me at all. I felt like I was a new person—the old Cindy Vortex was completely non-existent to me. This nicer, unsure side of me was all that was left, and I still hadn't adjusted to it yet. It was foreign. I didn't even know Jimmy was what I even really wanted and I was scared—so scared that everything I had ever wanted was going to blow up in my face. I wanted a life that was different than the one I had at that point. I didn't want to hate anymore, I wanted to love. I didn't want to compete anymore, I just wanted that feeling that I knew I did _my_ personal best, which was much more important than beating someone who was smarter than me just to please someone other than myself.

"Earth to Cindy?" asked Libby, waving a hand in front of me. "You're not even paying attention!"

I was deeply lost in thought once again about that night. I just didn't want anything to go wrong that night—if anything bad happened, we'd never have another chance together, or at least that's what I thought. I kept on imagining everything that could go wrong: my mother possibly seeing us, me becoming so nervous that I'd flinch every time Jimmy even _touched_ me, the hovercar running out of gas so that we'd possibly be stranded again (not that that would be a bad thing, but eventually I think people would know we were both missing and the consequences may be pretty high), Jimmy and I possibly getting into another fight… _What if Jimmy stood me up and we didn't go at all? _And worst of all, what if Jimmy really kissed me as Libby suggested he might and I didn't do it right? We've only kissed once and I know I wasn't too good at that the first time.

Tears of worry stung my eyes as they started cascading down my cheeks like waterfalls. It was then that Libby started to grab a hold of my arm and shake me.

"Cindy! What's wrong?"

I looked down at my shaking hands and then back into my best friend's concerned eyes. "I'm scared," I whispered quietly.

She gently wiped my make-up stained tears and gave me a hug. "How come? You're going to have a good time tonight!"

"I don't know…maybe I shouldn't do this. I don't think we're ready for this—I don't think _I_ am!"

She continued to mop up my tears with a Kleenex and pulled out her makeup kit again. Any other time I know she'd be annoyed at me for having to start fixing me up all over, but this time I knew she understood how I was feeling.

"Jimmy really cares about you, Cin…he'd never do anything to hurt you. I know. He even said so himself. He might be at an awkward stage in his life where he's still maturing in some respects where us girls already have, but he still loves you."

Love was a **very** strong word to use. Jimmy had almost confessed that he loved me once, but he's never actually come out and said it, except when he had been under the affects of the pheromone on Valentine's Day. That had been different though—when I had found out why he had been acting so strangely, I came up with the conclusion that his strong feelings for me had only been artificial. There couldn't be any other explanation—I just figured he never cared for me in the same way I had. Now that we were trying to work things out, however, I knew that if he had strong feelings, he'd just tell me. I could only hope the right time would come when he'd just tell me straight-up that he loved me, but we were only eleven after all. It wasn't as if I was going to explode if he didn't tell me he loved me tonight, or any other night—it was probably too soon for both of us. We'd just have to let things progress on their own naturally—if either I or Jimmy was to rush anything it could ruin our only chance we had of trying to work things out.

It's like that one song you always hear on the radio—love takes time. It can either hurt or be the best thing that ever happens to you. In my case, I could only hope that it would be the positive one and not the negative. Maybe that was why I was so scared before I left that night—I didn't want to be hurt. Neutron used to always have a way with pulling jokes on me, and I knew I'd be hurt forever if I ever thought that all these weeks that we've been a bit romantic, that it was all some setup and that him and his friends were behind all of it.

"I don't know if Jimmy really loves me, Libby. He's never said it and actually meant it, and you know as well as I do that the closest he ever came to it was when he told me he loved me in the Candy Bar in front of everyone—and that wasn't even true, because he was under that stupid potion! I've been a complete wreck these past several weeks, and all Jimmy and I have been doing since we've been together is disagreeing or fighting—not about who's better than who like it used to be, but about our relationship! He wants me to go on an intergalactic trip with him, and I have to decline, because my mother forbids me to even spend time with him, much less his friends. If he wants to spend a few minutes alone with me—you know what I have to say? I have to say no, because I have a recital, or a practice or a tournament to compete in! I don't think I'll be able to handle all of the pressures that come along with having a boyfriend. My mom's running my life pretty much now and I can't break free of that, and I just know Jimmy's going to tire of me sooner or later if we aren't able to work anything out."

"Cin, I know things have been tough at home. I understand that. But you can't let anything that's happening to you with your mom interfere with the person that cares about you the most….and I seriously doubt that he'd ever tire of you. He never seemed to tire of you when you guys used to fight non-stop, and I don't think he'll tire of you now. You guys are finally trying to get along—if you spend all your time worrying about punishments, rejection and becoming depressed, you and Jimmy will never be able to fix things and they could go back to the way they once were! Okay, now I've fixed you up again except for the lip-gloss. What flavor did you want to use?"

I sighed as I looked down at the clear gel-filled tubes of gloss. "Apple," I replied, "But what am I supposed to do?"

Libby pulled out one of the tubes and opened it—the aroma was already overcoming my senses as she pulled out the applicator and started applying it to my lips.

"What you are going to do is go out with Jimmy tonight, have a fabulous time, and tell me all about it at school tomorrow. And, by the way, you can keep this lip gloss—I've never used this one and I probably never will. You must be warned though—the salesperson at the store I bought this stuff from told me that it has this powerful effect on guys when they kiss the one they really love. I dunno, some weird superstition, I guess, but that's what she told me. I think she was just trying to make a sale myself though."

"_If_ he kisses me, Libs!" I giggled, playfully shoving her, as I tried to forget my nerves for a few minutes. These were actually my last few moments as a semi-single girl and I'd rather spend them being my old self for once.

She then grabbed a mirror and held it in front of me. "Now how's _that_ for a makeover?" Libs asked me with a tone of accomplishment in her voice.

I nearly gasped as I looked at myself. I looked way older than my age, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on who would be noticing me. I knew my mother would probably kill me when I got home for looking like this, but I didn't care. I was not only doing this to impress Jimmy, but I was doing this for myself. I've needed a new image for a long time—one that was much more impressive than the one I already had, and I had finally achieved it. I was the definition of what the perfect girl would be: the one that everyone always admired and wanted to be just like.

I hugged my best friend tightly. "Thank you, girl…for everything. I feel so much better about myself and I actually look good for once. If this doesn't shock Neutron, nothing will!"

We both laughed one last time as the doorbell started to ring. Libby was the first to run down the stairs and open the door, while I took my time to get there. It had become evident that my nervousness had returned. I could hear Sheen's voice as she opened the door, talking about some episode of Ultra Lord he was dying to see after the concert was over. _Maybe Jimmy wasn't here yet_, I thought to myself as I continued to slowly descend the stairs.

I was wrong. "Hey, Cindy, hurry up! Jimmy's here too!"

I froze dead in my tracks then. I didn't know if I could still go through with it.

"Is she here?" I could hear him asking Libby as she let him in.

"Yeah, hold on—she's been worrying about this all night."

She ran back up the stairs and grabbed my hand. "I spent way too long making you up, girl—you're going on that date if I have to pry you out of that door!"

"Okay, okay! I can walk, you know!" I whispered, as Libby continued to push me down the stairs.

The next thing I knew I was face to face with Jimmy. Once he had a good look at my outfit, he was absolutely stunned. The only word he could barely get out was my name—he couldn't believe it was me.

"Cindy?"

_A/N: I have had some of you ask me as to how old these characters are, and they are still eleven, as is on the show. I'm doing my best to keep them in character, but I do have to make my educated guesses as to how they'd act as a couple, instead of as enemies. The next chapter will finally be the date, and things will start to take some serious turns after that._


	5. Alone Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

He continued to gape at me as I walked a bit closer to him. I only could have predicted that Jimmy would be wearing the same clothes he always wore—he rarely ever dressed up for anything, and I even started to wonder if the red t-shirt and jeans outfit was the only thing he even owned. But I was thinking a bit too much about his clothes and not enough about him.

"Cindy?" he said again

"Yeah, Neutron, it's me," I replied with a shaky voice.

"Whoa, check out Cindy, man!" exclaimed Sheen, nudging Jimmy, "She looks great!"

Jimmy and I continued to look at each other both speechless—this never happened to us before. We always seemed to have something to say to each other.

"You two have to say something sometime," said Libby, "and we don't have all night. We have to go." She grabbed Sheen's hand and started heading out the door.

"Have fun, guys! And Cindy, remember what I told you."

"Aw, man! Do we have to?" whined Sheen, "I haven't finished checking Cindy out yet!"

"_Come on!_" she yelled, dragging him off the front porch.

We both shook our heads and looked at each other. I noticed Jimmy nervously taking my hand.

"I guess we better get going," he said quietly.

We both left the house and headed towards the hovercar saying nothing. I guess that's the way all first dates go—you never know what to say and you feel extremely nervous. You're under a lot of pressure because you want everything to be perfect and for absolutely nothing to go wrong. When it comes to Jimmy's experiments, things almost _always_ went wrong. I could tell by the frequent glances I gave him that he was very worried, maybe even as much as I was.

We climbed into the hovercar and headed off away from our neighborhood going who knows where. I looked out at my surroundings and noticed the sun beginning to fade away into the night. I then turned my head to the right to see nothing but an endless array of trees, some with flowers, others with fruit, some really tall. I never really took the time to actually observe nature when I had become accustomed to the same every day activities, but when you're nervous you'll do almost anything to take your mind off your worries.

After about ten minutes of silence, I decided to ask Jimmy at least where we were. I could tell we were already many miles from home.

"Jimmy, where are we?"

For some reason, this took him longer to answer than usual. He continued to drive in silence looking out ahead of him instead of at me. How secretive could this place possibly be?

After what seemed an eternity he put the hovercar into autopilot and looked in my direction. It was then that my gaze went from focusing on his expression to looking at the floor. I couldn't even look at him. What was wrong with me! Any other time I could become lost in his eyes immediately and now I was acting like a new student at another school! I didn't know what to say because I feared rejection. I don't even think Jimmy knew what to do.

I felt him put his arm around my shoulders and pull me closer to him, which started making even more uncomfortable by the minute. All the sensations I was feeling deep down inside were starting to make me worry a whole lot more. Jimmy nervously started to rub my shoulder, as he told me where we were headed.

"Have you ever been to Retroville Park?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah," I stammered, trying my hardest to keep my composure—I couldn't believe how close I was to him.

"It's a bit further away from there," he said, "It's a place I always go when I want to be alone. I used to go there often back when we used to fight so I could cool off and gather my thoughts."

It was after that statement that I began to bite my lip as I looked away from him. I definitely made Jimmy pretty angry when we used to fight, especially when I teased and tormented him. Just thinking about all of those times made me feel so guilty.

"Cindy?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts again. "What's wrong?"

Tears began to sting my eyes. I hated what I had once become, and was frightened of what was ahead of me. I really wanted to be with him, but at the same time I had started to think that I wasn't worth it, and that I should be chasing after someone who's more worthy of me. I didn't know what to do. He heard my silent crying, I could tell, because he instantly turned my makeup stained face to him. Out of nowhere I started hearing this beeping noise.

"Excess moisture detected," I heard the computer say as a box of tissue jumped out at me.

I had this startled expression on my face as Jimmy quietly laughed and pulled out a tissue. He wiped away my tears with it and then placed it in the decomposable storage compartment.

"I shouldn't be making you feel guilty. It's my fault we had all those pointless arguments anyway. Don't blame yourself."

He knew what was wrong, and at that very moment leaned in to kiss me. It was even more than I could handle emotionally at the time. I didn't want to be kissed at that moment, and I pulled away from him, frightened.

"Neutron, don't you see? It's _my_ fault we had those arguments—not yours! The only reason you ever had for hating me was because I always started the fights with you. You pulled your crazy pranks on me because I did the same to you, you mocked my school projects because I always mocked yours…I only did those things to get your attention, and you only fought back because you thought that I absolutely loathed you. I'm to blame, I started this."

He looked at me with an expressionless face, speechless. I was ruining the moment by going into another one of my explanations. I absolutely cursed myself for my gift of speaking skills—I always went too far with them.

"And I'm scared…scared that even if you kiss me things are going to go back the way they were eventually. I'm one of those girls that easily gives my heart away too quickly. We still have those competitive aspects inside us, and with my mother pressuring me to become better than you how am I just going to fight the urge to go back to how I was? How am I going to do it!" I cried.

I could see a slightly confused, dejected look on his face as I pulled away from him. We weren't getting off on the right track. He looked straight ahead, not saying a word for the rest of the ride. I didn't think he had a logical answer to my dilemmas and he most definitely shared the same fears about this relationship that I had. What would be the point of debating all of our fears if we had no way of answering them?

He was trying to convince me into thinking that it wasn't my entire fault that we had our arguments, but it was. I always started them, and he knew that. I think more than anything Jimmy felt sorry for me, which was why he was placing all the blame of our problems on him. I treated him so horribly, so bad that I've almost made _him_ cry. I realized that I was the one crying out of the pain from treating him the way I had.

I once remembered how excited I was at the thought of even kissing Jimmy. I always wondered what my first kiss would be like and whether or not I'd even like it. When I first met Jimmy he was the last person I wanted kissing me. He was the definition of "un-cool" and if I were to caught even being nice to him, I'd be the spotlight of constant humiliation for the rest of my days in school. My reputation had been way more important to me and I couldn't throw it all away because of one person I couldn't possibly stand. Little did I know he had actually been the right one for me that whole time I had been fawning all over Nick Dean. Now he was the definition of cool and everyone knew it. He was perfect in every single way, especially when it came to looks, which was probably what attracted me most to him. His attitude towards me had eventually turned me off to him entirely, and after that mind-switching incident Jimmy pulled about a year ago he didn't want anything to do with me. He actually had the nerve to tell Nick in my body that I'd never go out with him in a million years, and that was the last time he ever spoke to me.

If I had known I was going to be this chicken, I may not have decided to go along with this date.

I didn't want to have smeared makeup all over my semi-perfect face, so I had eventually decided to stop crying. Fortunately enough for me, Libby had used her best makeup—if it had been the cheap stuff, I would have looked horrible by now. I couldn't be afraid of someone I used to hate. I had to try to remain calm and keep my composure. It was only a date after all, and the more pressure I put on Jimmy and myself, the less of a good time we'd both have. I was still very nervous and under a lot of stress—I didn't know how long or if I would hold out at all.

I wiped the last of my tears and my running makeup, adjusted my hair and closed my compact, looking back over in Jimmy's direction. He looked so depressed—here he was trying so hard to make me feel comfortable and I was blowing it.

I absentmindedly brushed my hand against his leg as I stared out ahead of me. I tried my hardest not to look but I could feel his gaze begin to fix upon me. He then took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as he finally landed the hovercar in a secluded lush paradise with a huge array of flowers and trees all around us. It was absolutely beautiful. As we climbed out, we started walking into this jungle of sorts and I was amazed at how beautiful it was—everything looked so exotic and I just had to take in everything around me: the sunset, the warm late-spring evening, all the trees, plant and animal life. I loved it.

We ended up stopping in front of a large lake. Taking my hand again, he led me to a beautiful tall tree overlooking it. I noticed how calm and peaceful the lake was with that same sunset illuminating the background. Jimmy sat down underneath the tree and motioned for me to follow. We sat still for awhile and watched the sun setting over the water, while taking the occasional glance at each other every now and then. At one point I noticed him examining some twig he picked up off the ground, as if it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen in his life. I couldn't help but think of why he'd want to look at something as silly as a stick anyway. It's an inanimate object after all.

I continued to stare at him a bit confused while he was studying the twig. I almost wanted to laugh for some weird reason, but I caught myself before I did so. His own way of trying to take his mind off of nerves was through the only outlet he ever knew—science. Jimmy always liked to study and examine things and I suppose he saw something about the twig that I didn't see. It was about ten minutes later that he finally put it down and started looking in my direction. I had grown a little bored watching him and had looked back out at the sunset again.

With some courage, Jimmy placed his arm around my shoulders again, pulling me close. I felt him timidly playing with my hair as I examined my hands and then the grass. We were both acting so strangely that I couldn't believe we were once so outspoken and defensive with one another. We definitely were changing and our caring, sensitive sides were finally taking the place of our hatred and selfishness.

"Your hair's really long," he said softly, breaking our silence.

"Hmm?" I asked returning from my absentminded thoughts.

"Well, I mean, your hair…"

"What about it?" I asked, half hoping he'd make a compliment.

Was he ever right when he told me how hard it would be to show affection. It took him at least a minute or two to rephrase his comment about my hair.

"It-it's really pretty," he finally said, brushing a finger on my cheek. I felt a tiny shiver run through my body as my face turned slightly pink.

He then looked out at the lake again, still holding me close. The wind had started to pick up slightly. I could feel it blowing across me as I started to shiver uncontrollably. It didn't take long for Jimmy to realize I was cold and he looked back in my direction to notice me rubbing my arms for warmth. He quickly wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a warm embrace with our faces practically touching each other—one of the sweetest gestures he's ever done. The only other time we hugged nearly this close was when we were stranded on the island, and that was out of fear. This hug was more out of...love, and the strange thing was, I liked it a _lot_. He started rubbing my arms to keep me warm and my heart was pounding so fast, I could've sworn it would have jumped out of me…as much as I liked having Jimmy hold me, my emotions were out of control. If he tried to kiss me again, I wouldn't be able to go through with it and I knew that.

Jimmy placed his hand underneath my chin and slowly turned my face towards him. He brushed a few strands of my hair away from me and leaned in closer. I could feel my whole body shaking and I became dizzy, nearly blacking out. I felt so perfectly fine the other day when we had tried to kiss—so comfortable. And now that we had absolutely no interruptions, I was terrified. Things had changed so rapidly in the last couple of weeks that my whole definition of who I was at that point was nonexistent. I was someone else now, and I had to live with it. But could I?

For the second time that night, I pulled away from him just as his lips were about to meet mine. He opened his eyes and looked into mine.

"I can't do this…" I said softly.

"Why not?" he asked, worriedly.

"I've already told you why. I don't think it's right."

"Cindy, I won't tell anyone if that's what's making you feel so uncomfortable."

I shook my head as a couple of fresh tears streamed down my cheeks. "We're too young for this...I mean, you've been nothing tonight but the perfect date and I've been worrying. I'm not myself—I'm completely out of character, totally changed. We're still kids, and we're already holding each other, hugging…kissing? Those are things I see high school teenagers doing all the time, especially on those ridiculous TV shows! I think— what I'm trying to say is—we're too young for all this romance stuff. It's all too complicated for eleven year olds."

He scooted closer to me and affectionately wiped my tears, trying his hardest to regain a bit of confidence now that he knew what had been bothering me that whole time.

"I care for you a great deal, Cindy…isn't that the whole reason why I brought you out here? We haven't spent any real time together in a long time with our lives being as crazy as they are. I like spending time with you…I always have. Even when we used to hate each other, I secretly enjoyed your company. I told you I would do my best to show some affection…I'm not too good at it, but I'm at least trying, and I had a really good time tonight with you. But, most of all, I was hoping…that I could kiss you. I really don't know why, but that's the one thing I've had on my mind this whole weekend—knowing that we'd finally have the chance to be alone so we could explore how we truly felt about each other with no interruptions. And believe me, I've seen a lot of couples walking around at school about the same age as we are—it's not that big of a deal. I mean, it's not like I came all this way to pull some crazy prank on you like old times. We're done with the immature behavior I would think."

I didn't want to deny my feelings any longer. If this relationship was going to happen, I had to let it happen now or get away from it.

Brushing the remainder of my tears away from my face, Jimmy closed his eyes and moved in closer. I closed my eyes as I felt his lips gently press against mine. I had forgotten how soft his lips were since the last time we had kissed…it was so perfect. All time had completely stood still as I felt him put his hand around my neck. The kiss got a little deeper before we eventually pulled away. I put all of my love and affection into it as I was kissing him back. This was the high point of the evening and I enjoyed every bit of the short 20 second kiss we shared that night. By the time it was all over, I was completely breathless.

"Wow…" whispered Jimmy dreamily.

I looked at him, not having a clue what to say. For the first time in weeks I was so happy...I knew I had to take it while I could, because once tomorrow rolled around, I'd feel completely depressed again.

"You…and me…I kissed you!" he said, his mind starting to fail him.

I shook my head in compliance. "We kissed…I know, Jimmy."

"But…we…I mean, you liked it!"

"I liked it when you kissed me a month ago!" I giggled.

"Scientifically speaking," he said, regaining some consciousness, "my heart definitely skipped a beat. Did you know that kissing also causes you to feel light-headed, reacting to sensory inputs from the eyes and nose—"

"Neutron…" Jimmy stopped and looked at me. "Shut up and kiss me again."

We both leaned in and kissed once again, this time a bit longer than the first. I felt so much better about it now that I knew where we stood. I'd had so much fun with him that night I had completely forgotten the time…and…who had happened to be spying on us.

When we pulled away the second time, I glanced at Jimmy's watch to see what time it was, since I had left mine at home.

"It's…a little after ten."

Ten! My eyes began to widen in fear. "Oh, no…" I whispered.

"What is it?"

"I'm late!"

_A/N: This was by far, the hardest chapter I've ever written for a story thus far. The main reason why Cindy's a little out of character is because almost anyone who is eleven years old is always terrified of change. Everyone goes through changes in their lives, and when you are at a difficult age of your life you're making decisions that can affect your life at one stage or another. For the most part, however, they are pretty close to how they would react if this was an actual episode. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please R&R._


	6. Issues

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron

_**Cindy**_

Jimmy was able to get us back as quick as he possibly could—thank goodness for his turbo speed function on the hovercar. However, he had become a bit annoyed with me for not telling him exactly when I was supposed to be home.

"Cindy, I really wish you would have told me you had to be back by 9:30. The only reason I was out so late is because my mom knew we had a date and had decided to let me stay out a little longer than usual."

I felt ashamed, and at the same time, troubled over what my fate would be once I got home.

"Jimmy…I'm sorry! I really lost track of the time!"

He frowned at me as he continued navigating us towards Libby's. "I just don't want you to be in any trouble, that's all."

"Neutron, even if I am, it will have been well worth it."

He sighed, exasperated. "I'm starting to wonder if there's the slightest possibility that going out with you was well worth any punishment you might receive at home—maybe we shouldn't even be going out at all."

"You're the one that wanted some time to be alone with me. I didn't have to say yes!" I shot back defensively.

"Well, I didn't have to ask, Vortex! Besides, you were the one that convinced me that we needed to spend time together—I didn't think it was right! And it's not like I was waving the invitation around to have you join me!" he argued.

"Oh, really Neutron? You were the one that left that note in my locker explicitly telling me so! At least I wasn't the one that suddenly decided to fall in love!"

"Excuse me! I never _ever_ said I loved you! I can barely even stand the sight of being seen with you!"

"Like I'd ever want to fall in love with an egotistical, show-offy jerk like you!" I yelled, glaring at him vehemently.

"Oh, so that's what you think?"

"Yeah!"

"And to think I actually kissed the one person I'm supposed to hate tonight! You were right—we're not ready to even become a couple, much less friends!"

Tears came to my eyes as my lower lip began to tremble. If it was one thing Jimmy had been experienced at, it was hurting my feelings.

"Why did you kiss me then?" I asked him softly.

He raised an eyebrow without responding to my question.

Everything that night had been nearly perfect until this… why was it that every time something bad happened, we had to fight? I was guilty enough for not telling Jimmy when I had to be home, but he never asked, so I never thought to tell him. I suppose he was probably just frustrated because he knew that the last thing he ever wanted was for anything to happen to me because of him. I made the choice to go out with him of my own free will, and even though the possibility of us losing track of time existed, that really didn't bother me. My happiness was more important to me, especially when my home life was truly unhappy.

I'd never ever cried this much in my life like I had that night. First I cried at Libby's, then with Jimmy on three occasions, fight included. I had a mixture of emotions racing through my mind. I was depressed because I hated what my life had turned into. I was sick and tired of always having to impress my mother by practicing for this and that, and staying up half the night trying to memorize everything under the sun for school. I was smart enough—I didn't need the extra stress, but I had it just the same. I was afraid because I didn't want to lose the people that meant so much to me, especially Jimmy. Ever since our confession, we had been a lot closer. I would never, ever trade that for anything. There wasn't anyone else in the world other than Libby that I wanted to spend my time with than Jimmy, and if anything ever happened to that tight bond that we had, I'd never forgive myself.

A few minutes after the last retort was made, Jimmy turned to me with guilt written all over. He pulled me into an apologetic hug as I continued to sob quietly.

"I hate it when we fight…" he whispered looking into my tear-filled eyes. I rested my head on his shoulder as he tenderly wiped away my tears and ran his fingers through my hair. We both remained quiet the rest of the way home.

When we finally reached Libby's house, we both climbed out of the hovercar and stared at each other.

I gazed up at him with a look full of disappointment. I didn't want to go home and have to possibly face punishment, and then another long week full of school and pointless activities.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight for a long time. I put my arms around him and stared into his eyes. I didn't want to leave, and I think he knew that. Eventually, though, we both had to.

"Well...I guess this is good night," he said, leaning closer.

"Yeah..." I replied as his lips magnetized towards mine. We both closed our eyes as he gave me a good night kiss that seemed to last a lot longer than the 15 quick seconds it happened. We then pulled away from each other.

"I guess we'll see each other in school tomorrow." Jimmy said softly as he looked at the ground.

"Yeah..." I whispered back, turning to leave.

"Good night, Cindy."

"Night..."

We both retreated off in our separate directions. My lips still pleasantly tingled from the kiss Jimmy had just given me…it definitely had taken my mind off of the silly fight we had, the curfew, school—_everything_. As I was walking, I felt so light-headed and carefree. If this was what it was like to be in love, I hoped it would last forever. This was a feeling I most definitely would not tire of.

I floated into the house, closing the door behind me. I then looked around to see if my mother would be anywhere around. I'd only come home late from an event possibly once or twice in my life—I was, for the most part, punctual. But those two times, she had practically given me the third degree, asking me all sorts of uncomfortable questions. Surprisingly, she was absolutely nowhere to be found. Sighing, thinking that I had gotten off the hook I headed upstairs towards my room, still expecting her to call out my full name instead of just "Cynthia". Still nothing.

After waiting a few more minutes for anything signifying my mother's presence, I had eventually come to the realization that nothing was going to happen to me at all the rest of the night. I walked into my room, shut the door and headed for my bedroom shower, happily thinking about the events of the night and how excited I'd be to tell Libby everything that happened.

I enjoyed being eleven, in elementary school, and in love all at the same time for once. We still had our differences to work out though. There had to be a way we could overcome the desire to argue about pure nonsense.

* * *

The next morning, I stumbled out of bed as I heard my alarm go off. I hated Monday mornings, especially when you have to get up at 7 a.m. for a long school day. If I wasn't going to be seeing my friends, there'd be no point in going. It was nearing the end of the year, and summer was almost upon us. I couldn't wait to break out and enjoy a few moments of freedom, all the while continuing my tai chi and piano lessons at the same time. I knew my mother would find more ways to keep me busy, but I was determined to have some fun every chance that I could, especially with Jimmy and Libby. I remember Jimmy's promise of going on some type of intergalactic trip with him, and even though I had to recently turn him down because I wasn't allowed, there was always the possibility that I could find a loophole, wasn't there?

The events of the previous evening had become a complete blur to me—I still couldn't believe I had just gone out with Jimmy Neutron. Everything felt so weird to me that morning. I couldn't think straight much less be able to rationalize any thought. I quickly threw on my school clothes and ran a brush through my hair. I grabbed my ponytail holder, stuck it up in my usual ponytail high on top of my head, then picked up my schoolbooks and cell phone and headed down the stairs to grab an apple before heading off to school. When I reached the kitchen, I saw my mother sitting at the table drinking coffee.

"Cynthia, I was thinking…you have been doing so well in your piano lessons that I decided to put you in a more advanced class. You'll be able to start after school on Wednesday."

I secretively made a face behind her back as I picked through the fruit basket.

"I also enrolled you in an academic program over the summer at that particular camp you always wanted to go to," she said.

"Oh…" I replied, trying to hide my disappointment. Just what I wanted—to be far away from my friends and miles from anyplace fun. There went my summer vacation.

"And don't forget your two-hour tai chi lesson after school. I decided to increase your individual practice time so you could perfect your skills."

_Two hours? _It used to be only one hour of practice and that was excruciating enough. I was starting to wonder what was going on—surely my mother must have known I was over an hour late last night. I knew I didn't even want to ask why she was getting me even more involved than I already was. Rule number one in my house was to never reject anything my mother said. The consequences were very serious if I were to go against anything I was forced to do.

I looked up at the clock and realized that I had to get going. I was too tired to even think about conversing with my mother and I just wanted to get out of the house. I quickly headed out the back door and nodded to her "be home no later than six and don't go anywhere else" demand. At least she didn't punish me for being out so late last night—if I had to be stuck in the house every afternoon after school, I would absolutely go nuts. I couldn't stay cooped up in this house with _her_ all day long—I'd be doing nothing but homework and chores and nothing else.

I could only hope she didn't find out who I was with that night. I thought about taking the bus this morning, but decided against it. Libby and I had been so used to walking to school that we didn't need to rely on any form of transportation to get to school. Not only were we getting some exercise, but we were outside, which was much better for us anyway. She quickly caught up with me as I walked past her house and started engaging in a deep conversation about the previous evening.

She asked me about everything that had gone on between Jimmy and I last night on our date as we were heading to school. I gave her the skinny, including how stressed I had become and even told her of the fears and worried I experienced. Libby knew me all too well, and she had always recognized that I had my weaknesses, especially when it came to boys. How I acted around Jimmy when we were alone was totally different than how I acted around him when we hated each other. He made me feel happy, nervous, frightened, and emotional all at the same time.

"Don't get so worked up, Cindy. He definitely likes you if he's willing to work things out regardless of your faults, and from what you have told me, I think Jimmy is far from perfect himself. You guys will fix things, I just know it."

"I know, Libs…but after we kissed, we got into this huge fight—"

"Wait a minute, he kissed you!" she exclaimed excitedly.

My face turned bright red as I started playing with one of the covers of my textbooks.

"Three times…" I replied, barely audible.

"Three times? Oh, girl, he's definitely into you!"

I pondered that thought with a bit of uncertainty. I believed Jimmy liked me somewhat, but I wasn't exactly sure if he was that serious. We still had a ways to go in our relationship before I'd know exactly how he felt.

"Yeah…twice in the middle of the date and a good night kiss. No big deal."

I didn't want to come off sounding like his kissing me was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had to stay strong and keep my options open.

"I knew it! That lip gloss most definitely did the trick! How did he react after he kissed you?"

I really wanted to get off that subject and onto the fight Jimmy and I had. The only person who would be able to explain what it all meant was my best friend, and if I didn't tell her at that point, it would be bothering me all day.

"He was surprised in a good way, I suppose. I think we both liked it…but there's something important I have to tell you," I responded in a much serious tone of voice.

Libby knew that when I started talking about pressing issues that all teasing and silliness had to be put aside.

"I'm sorry," she apologized guiltily. "What's up?"

I bit my lip as I often did when I was uncomfortable about sharing my problems.

"Jimmy and I had a fight," I explained going as slowly as possible so I could remember everything that was said between us.

"I was already a half-hour late after I checked to see what time it was, and he got a little angry because I didn't tell him what time I had to be home. Then we started arguing about our relationship, how he felt we weren't ready and all—completely contradictory from what he had told me before we kissed. It's always just like him to change his mind like that. Then I…well, I actually had the nerve to say that he decided one day that he loved me, even though he's never told me that face to face, and you know what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"He told me that he never _ever_ loved me and he couldn't even stand the thought of even been seen with me."

Her eyes widened in shock the same way mine had the night before when I realized I was late. "The nerve! What else happened?"

"Well…then he told me that we never should have kissed, and that we weren't even ready to become a couple, or even friends, which caused me to cry again for the millionth time that night."

"He must not have meant any of it if he still gave you a good night kiss," she reminded me as we finally headed into the school building.

"True. He apologized for upsetting me a few minutes later, but what's really troubling me is we're still _arguing_. If this relationship is going to work at all, we can't continue to fight all the time. I'm not as strong as I used to be when we used to quarrel, and it's taking its toll on me emotionally. If there was just some way that I could convince him that I don't just _like_ him, like someone that becomes infatuated in a potential love interest just for their looks, or their brains, or just one particular thing about them. I like him a lot more than that. I just wish I could prove it to him."


	7. Jimmy's Perspective

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_A/N: I've finally returned to the fanfiction scene to work more on this story. I feel that it was missing something, and that most likely had to be Jimmy's POV. I was hoping that I could write a story in one point of view, but it always seems to leave many unanswered questions. I now realize that we would probably want to know how Jimmy feels about this whole situation as much so as Cindy does. These next few chapters will be in Jimmy's point of view. Mostly, this current chapter will deal with how Jimmy feels, and will have a cute small piece of fluff at the very end of the chapter. Bear with me, as I've been dealing with depression—things have not been going too well for me this year. I'll more than likely pop in and out from time to time. I will try my hardest to finish this, no matter how long it takes. _

_Again, thanks to everyone for being so patient. Here's chapter 7. It's not really one of my best ones, so please try to give any constructive or positive criticism along the way, if possible._

_**Jimmy**_

My first "real" date with Cindy Vortex had been anything but ordinary, I had to admit. However, I couldn't help but feel different after everything that happened. It either had to do with her unique, but strange attire, the fact that she was wearing a sufficient amount of makeup, or her gorgeous blonde hair…(Wait a minute—did I just say gorgeous?) I couldn't get over how blown away I was when I saw her that night. My friends had known for a long time that we would somehow end up together, me being the intuitive, insightful genius that I was with a strong passion for science, and Cindy being my significant other—bold, fearless, and never afraid to take risks. She was also _very_ streetwise, and surprisingly smart.

My feelings for Cindy were still to be questioned. I knew that I liked her a _lot_, but I still didn't know exactly how I felt towards her. Sure, she was pretty…not as pretty as Betty Quinlan mind you, but pretty in her own way. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so I have always believed. After my first night alone with her, I knew at least what I wanted at the time when it came to physical appearance. Even her attitude towards me had changed—she had a sensitive side to her that I had rarely ever seen since we had been stranded on an island together several months before. And when we kissed, I felt a burning desire deep inside of my heart that I hadn't felt with any other girl before. I believed that hormones had driven these desires that night—it was true that I had wanted to explore my feelings, but had I been a bit too forward with her?

I rolled out of bed, rubbing the fatigue from my eyes. I still couldn't believe I had been out with Cindy, and I actually had to admit that we enjoyed ourselves. She really needed to get out. Other than seeing her at school, Cindy's mother was keeping her way too preoccupied. My adventures weren't even the same without her—my friends all knew this. For one, there wasn't anyone to give me any input, and for another, I didn't have anyone to challenge me, even if it was on a friendly level.

_Flashback: I remember the last trip the five of us had shared…we returned from an expedition to a far away, unknown planet. Sheen and Libby had never been more close, and Cindy and I had started becoming a little closer as friends. We were talking about what it would be like to go out on a real date…I even remember asking her if she would accompany me on a secret intergalactic trip. Her eyes lit up vivaciously when I smoothly put my arm around her waist and discussed our plans. I had only intended on taking one other person along—one that I could trust with my life…someone I could be alone with._

_As our spacecraft headed towards Earth, I remember telling Cindy that I liked her for more than just a friend. Before we knew it, I found myself leaning in to kiss her. It was as if an invisible force was pulling us closer to the destination we so anxiously wanted to reach. And as fate would have it, Sheen had to interrupt just as my lips were about to meet hers. I expected Cindy to become upset when we didn't kiss for yet another time, but she became unusually quiet, and I could have even sworn she was depressed. She stared out the window for the remainder of our journey, and I couldn't help but immediately feel guilty._

_After spending the whole night before feeling so guilty about not being able to kiss her, I wanted to make it up to Cindy by asking her out on a real date. Unfortunately, the next morning at school, Cindy informed me that because she was out so late with us, her mother had forbidden her from ever seeing me again. The reason: her mother felt it was unhealthy for her to hang around me—it was getting in the way of her studies and other various activities. As for the intergalactic trip, it was now out of the question. She then walked away with a few tears in her eyes, not even bothering to say another word which not only confused me, but left me feeling more rejected than ever. I almost came to the possible realization that there was no chance in us 'getting together' and even started contemplating asking Betty Quinlan out instead—but she was too good for me and I knew it. She wouldn't want to date someone whose stature was the shortest in the whole school. I was actually, in a sense, almost…heartbroken._

Erasing the haunting memories of past events from my mind, I changed into my usual clothes and headed towards the bathroom for my usual early morning dental hygiene routine. I wanted to arrive at school a few minutes early so I could "talk" with Cindy. I had to be more sensitive towards her—I nearly ruined our date last night by starting a pointless argument over missing a curfew placed upon Cindy by her mother. She had every right to be independent, but I had only been looking out for her. If she got into any trouble because of anything I caused, her mother would hate me even more than she already had. At least I knew where the source of Cindy's hatred towards me came from, although there were times I wish things between Cindy and I had been different. I tended to curse the fact that we were a working class family that could barely afford to live in a semi-wealthy neighborhood, but then again, my two best friends, Sheen and Carl didn't seem to fare much better. Their fathers had similar ordinary jobs like mine that paid about the same, while their mothers stayed at home.

I didn't really feel that I was good enough, especially for Cindy, mainly because of status and the fact that I was smarter than her, always making the highest grades of anyone in Lindbergh Elementary's history. She deserved someone that could make her happy…and I wasn't sure if I could fulfill the role of _boyfriend_. We still weren't exactly official yet, but I knew Cindy might want us to be. I wasn't even sure we could be friends, much less a couple. The more I thought about these issues, the more I thought about Cindy…and the more I thought about her, the more I wanted to actually, almost, be with her.

It was all I could do to restrain myself from thinking about wanting to hold her or look into her eyes—she was the only thing I had on my mind that entire morning, which wasn't like me at all. I normally woke up thinking about school, mainly science. Learning, as well as my lab work always seemed to keep me calm even in the most desperate of situations. It was when I got to thinking about anything dealing with the female species that I became extremely uncomfortable. I couldn't decipher girls—they were and always will be a mystery to me.

I quickly darted downstairs and into the kitchen to grab a piece of toast for the road, when my mother as always, tried to convince me to eat a wholesome breakfast at the table for once. I hadn't the time for much to eat, seeing as I was already running a few minutes behind schedule.

"Sorry, Mom! I have to see someone at school!" I replied, swallowing the piece of toast in less than 30 seconds as I headed out the door holding onto my books. Fortunately, I made it to the bus stop with several seconds to spare. I noticed my friends sitting in the back, motioning for me to sit behind them, eagerly awaiting the details of the previous night's events. Popping a stick of gum into my mouth, I sighed, tiredly. The ride to school would be a long, uncomfortable one.

After explaining most of the details (leaving out the most romantic of moments, just as I had promised Cindy I would do), the bus stopped in front of the school building.

"Aw, come on Jimmy! Admit it—you must have kissed her once!" teased Sheen, playfully shoving me.

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Sheen, nothing happened. We talked, watched the sun set, and went home."

"Maybe Jimmy doesn't want us to know that he kissed her," Carl pointed out as he struggled to keep up with our pace.

I went to my locker to rid myself of my belongings, and then scanned the halls for Cindy. I saw her applying lip-gloss in her locker mirror while Libby continued to talk to her about the concert she attended with Sheen. It didn't take too long for my friend to make eye-contact with Libby, as he rushed past me to greet her. They eagerly engaged in some rather active conversation, as the couple walked towards the classroom with Carl following close behind….leaving Cindy and I completely alone.

I quickly disposed of the sugarless gum I had been chewing and slowly made my way towards the blonde, who was nervously looking at the floor.

_How does one normally greet the person that they admire? _I thought to myself, as I inched my way closer. I looked around to notice that we were the only two individuals in the hall, and class was about to start in a little under five minutes.

"Hey, Cindy," I whispered softly.

"H-hey…"

All logical thought was completely lost as I leaned in and gave her an abbreviated kiss. Once we pulled away, I nervously smiled at her and walked away, keeping a cool, relaxed disposition.

Little did I know that the girl I always seemed to take for granted in my life would almost be out of it forever…


	8. Infatuation

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Jimmy**_

I couldn't get Cindy out of my mind the entire school day. It seemed like it was only just yesterday that we were fighting, and now I'm kissing her? I had to stop thinking about her, but I couldn't. Sitting next to Cindy in class doesn't help matters, because I always catch myself staring at her or daydreaming.

I'm eleven years old. I shouldn't be thinking about these sorts of things at my age, but yet I am. My hormones have never been more confused than they are right now. Last night, everything seemed so certain. I was a little nervous about kissing Cindy even though I had already kissed her before, but when I kissed her earlier this morning before class, I started becoming more accustomed to it. I now had my sights set on making out with her on our next date, which I hoped would be sooner rather than later.

I've been pouring over the pages of my new kissing book I checked out from the library a few weeks ago and I can't put it down. Of course, I'm still getting my homework done and receiving straight-A's, so I haven't been shirking in my schoolwork duties, but it really is about time I started doing some other things with my free time. Homework takes so little time for me to complete, and when I'm finished, I usually find myself tinkering with inventions in the lab or challenging myself by reading college-level math and science textbooks and answering the questions at the end of every chapter. If I was going to have a girlfriend, I needed to learn more about dating and kissing was an important part of that.

I also checked out a dating book from the library that I will start reading once I'm finished with the kissing book. It should provide me with more information about the types of activities couples like to do. I already have a few ideas which are surefire bets for fun – Retroland or movie-watching in the lab.

I looked up at the clock. It was almost 3:00 and school would be out in about fifteen minutes. I couldn't be any more eager to get out of school than I was today. I did, after all, have some important reading to do. It was so hard to stay focused on Miss Fowl when all I really wanted to do was hold Cindy's hand or put my arm around her, but I knew better. This is a classroom setting, we were supposed to be listening to the teacher and taking notes, and the whole class would laugh at us if they caught Cindy and I doing something we weren't supposed to be doing during school hours. While everyone was aware that we were sort-of dating, it was important that we maintained a low-profile status so that word wouldn't get out to Cindy's mother what we were doing. If she knew about the date we had last night, who knows what she might do to Cindy? The last thing I wanted was for her to be forbidden to see anyone or do anything, or even be removed from school and my life forever.

I looked over at Cindy who was taking some notes on the math lesson Miss Fowl was giving us. She was so beautiful last night. I wish she would wear her hair down more often. And her skin felt so soft against my fingertips. I can't believe it took me this long to become interested in her. I have no idea why I ever argued with her or acted like such a show-off. Maybe puberty isn't so bad.

She could tell I was staring at her because she looked up a little bit and blushed, but quickly went back to writing so that no one would become suspicious. Math wasn't Cindy's best subject. She did receive A's in it, but every now and then, her grades would drop to a B. Miss Fowl's class was a lot more advanced than your typical fifth grade class. We were learning things equivalent to what a high school student would learn. She did not sugarcoat anything. But one thing I enjoyed about her class was the challenge, and Cindy and I were always up to the task.

Miss Fowl noticed I had been looking at Cindy for awhile now and called on me to answer a math question, which I was able to do effortlessly. She could always count on me to keep the class focused. She then gave us our homework assignments, signaling that school was about ready to let out for the day. I packed up my things as the bell was ringing and walked out of the classroom and towards my locker to get my backpack. It was too nice of a day to take the bus home, so I decided to walk. I shut my locker door and went outside.

As luck would have it, Cindy and Libby were chatting down at the bottom of the steps. Libby smiled and told her she would call her later. As she was walking away, she gave me the thumbs up seal of approval, which I'm assuming was because of the date Cindy and I had last night.

I looked around to make sure no one was watching before taking Cindy's hand. I knew we would probably have to go our separate ways before we reached our houses so Cindy's mother wouldn't see us together, but we could at least walk part of the way home.

I tried to think of something to talk about – anything. It didn't take me long to remember the math assignment we had to do and since I could tell Cindy was struggling with what we were learning in class, maybe this would be the opportune moment for me to ask her if she would like me to help her with her homework.

"So, Cindy, did you understand the math assignment Miss Fowl gave us?"

"Sort-of," she said, "I'll try to figure it out on my own, though. I have so much other homework tonight. There's just not enough hours in the day to do homework, and then all of the other activities my mother has me signed up for." Cindy rolled her eyes and stared at the sidewalk as we kept walking.

I knew Cindy was going to be very busy today, but I asked her anyway, hoping maybe she might say yes. "Do you need any help with the math homework?"

Cindy looked in my direction and frowned. "I can't today. I have piano practice. Remember that recital I have coming up?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do remember you telling me about that."

We continued walking for a few more minutes until we were about five minutes away from our homes. I had forgotten that walking actually took a lot less time than riding the bus. I was not looking forward to retreating to my home for the evening. I really wanted to be with Cindy. I hated the fact that the next chance I might even have for another date could be weeks away.

I decided to be a little bold, so I motioned for Cindy to follow me behind Libby's house. I didn't think Libby would mind if I used her backyard as a place for me to say goodbye to Cindy. I could sense that Cindy knew what I was doing. She started becoming a little uneasy, but she followed me without saying a word.

Once we were in Libby's backyard, I put my arms around her and held her for what seemed like a long time (even though it was only for a few minutes). She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. As if on cue, I shut my eyes and leaned in to kiss her. Time did not allow for me to actually do little more than the kissing we had done the night before, but I prolonged it for at least five minutes and kissed her a little deeper than I had the night before.

After we parted, I smiled and ran my fingers down one of her arms. Her smile soon turned to worry after she looked at her watch. "Oh, no, I'm going to be so late. I have to go. I'm sorry, Jimmy."

She ran off, leaving me alone, and I walked the rest of the way home.

* * *

Once I was at home, I took my books out of my backpack and started to work on my homework. After only a few minutes into my assignments, my cell phone started to ring.

It was Cindy.


	9. The Sweet Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

_Why can't I get his kisses out of my mind? _I thought to myself as I was headed for Madame Jones' house for my piano lesson. Jimmy kissed me for five whole minutes this afternoon, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much better he was getting at it. He really is amazing. He's so sweet, kind, and caring now, which is a complete 360 from how he used to act towards me.

I really could use his help with my math homework. I didn't understand hardly anything Miss Fowl was talking about today. I never used to admit that I was having trouble in a subject. I would always try to figure it out myself and hope for the best because I was worried that Jimmy would make fun of me if my math grade wasn't as good as his was. Reputation was something I hated living up to, but now, I didn't really care so much anymore. Jimmy's my boyfriend now, and I'm no longer ashamed to ask him for help.

I couldn't study with him today because of this stupid piano practice. Not to mention that it might be awhile before I get to sneak out with him again. It was a good thing we had our first date last night. Jimmy and I were so nervous, but for a first official date, it really wasn't too bad. We're both figuring out the whole "kissing" thing and it was very enjoyable. I hope Jimmy greets me and says goodbye to me each day with a kiss like he did today. That way, I won't always have to wait until our next date for him to kiss me. I don't think I could wait that long, and besides, how could we practice our kissing if we didn't do it every day?

I reached Madame Jones' house with just barely a minute to spare and, as I usually do, knocked on the door to make sure she was home. As my mother always told me, _it's impolite to enter anyone's home before knocking_. A petite woman answered the door holding a duster and wearing an apron. That was Morgan, the housekeeper. My mother only hires the best teachers for me – all of them are wealthy just like her.

"Hello, Cindy!" she exclaimed with a huge smile on her face.

"Hi, Morgan," I said, with less enthusiasm. I really didn't want to be there. Fate must have thought so too, because I was quite surprised at what she said next.

"Miss Jones is a little under the weather, so she had to cancel your lesson for today. Your mother must be out because when she tried to get a hold of her, she wasn't answering her phone. I'm sorry you had to come all this way."

My eyes and ears perked up and a half-grin appeared on my face. I tried my best to keep my composure, but I was so happy my lesson was canceled. My mother didn't have any other activities scheduled for me today other than the long (3 hour) piano lesson, so I could spend my free time with Jimmy! I couldn't wait.

"That's okay, Morgan. I'll see you and Madame Jones on Wednesday. Bye!"

I ran off the front porch and skipped merrily towards my house. I had to call and see if my mother would pick up. If she did, I would still have to return home, but if not, I could still sneak in some time with Jimmy and she would never know.

I dialed her number and let it ring about 8 times. It was obvious she didn't answer because our answering machine came on instead. I squealed in delight. She wasn't home!

I went to my speed-dialer and called Jimmy. He was probably working on homework right now, but I was hoping he wouldn't be too busy.

It rang only two times before he picked up. I think he was pretty shocked to see that I called because he didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"Cindy?"

"Jimmy, are you busy? My piano lesson was canceled and I was sort-of wondering if—"

Jimmy was pretty quick to respond. He must have read my mind.

"If you want me to help you with your math homework? I'd love to! I'll head over to the lab and you can meet me there."

"That would be great, Jimmy. I'll be there in a few minutes."

I was about to hang up when Jimmy asked me one more thing.

"Did you check to see if your mother was home first? I don't want her to find out."

"Yes, I did. She's not home. She must have business to tend to today, I guess."

I could hear him breathe a sigh of relief on the other end of the line. "Cindy, I'm glad you called. I've been thinking about you ever since I got home. You know…hoping you were all right and that your lesson was going smoothly."

I smiled. No one has ever been concerned about me before, and it would take some getting used to with Jimmy, but it made me feel good to know that someone really cares about me the way he does.

"Well, I'll see you."

"You too, Jimmy. Bye."

And with that, I closed my flip phone and kept on walking. Jimmy's house wasn't too far – only a few more blocks to go.

Wisely, I decided to check in at home first just to make sure my mother wasn't there. Just because she didn't answer her phone didn't mean she might not already be there already.

* * *

Once I got home I went inside and looked all around for her. "Mom? You there?"

After a minute or two, I found a note she left for me on the kitchen table.

_Cynthia,_

_Will be home late. Had some business to take care of. Dinner is up to you tonight. Finish your homework and don't leave the house unless it is an emergency. It's a school night and I don't want you out all evening._

She never signs her name when she leaves me a note, but I know her handwriting well enough to know it's hers and not someone else's.

I deleted Madame Jones' message about my piano lesson being canceled from my mother's answering machine so she wouldn't find out about it, made a quick sandwich for myself, then left for Jimmy's house with my backpack. I had two hours and forty-five minutes before I had to officially be home for the night. It was likely my mother would be back by the time I was supposed to be home and I didn't want to take any chances by staying out very late. Still, two hours and forty-five minutes was plenty of time to see Jimmy, and I was fortunate enough to have it.

I headed out the back door and walked across the yard until I reached the street. I looked both ways and crossed the street to Jimmy's house. My heart seemed to be racing at a hundred miles an hour. Why did I always have to be so nervous before every meeting with Jimmy?

When I reached Jimmy's lab door, I knocked. Jimmy acknowledged me and I dropped down the chute. There was a pillow at the bottom to catch me as I fell.

At least I wasn't the only one that was nervous. I could tell he was too. He helped me up and we went over to the couch.

I took out my math book and placed it in my lap with a notebook right beside it. I turned to the page where our homework assignment was and put my name and date on my paper. Jimmy sat beside me and opened up his math book. I had a feeling we were probably going to be doing a little more than just studying, but for the time being, everything appeared to be as normal as a study date could be.

"Simplifying rational expressions. Algebra has never been my best subject," I groaned as I looked at the first problem:

**Simplify and find all numbers that must be excluded from the domain of the simplified rational expression: 25 minus x squared over x squared minus 10 x plus 25. **

Jimmy smiled. "Don't worry, Cindy. It's not as bad as you think. Let me show you how to do it."

He took my pencil out of my hand and started writing as he was explaining the problem to me.

"You first need to factor the numerator and denominator, then divide out all the common factors that the numerator and denominator have. You can do this by factoring the difference of the squares in the numerator and factoring the trinomial in the denominator. When you're finished with that, you factor out a negative one from five minus x and divide out the common factor of x minus five, which gives you the negative equation five plus x over x minus five. What value of x would cause the denominator to be zero?"

I looked at what Jimmy wrote and replayed the steps over again in my mind. I can't believe I didn't think of the answer sooner. It was as clear as day to me now that Jimmy explained it.

"Would the excluded value be five?"

He grinned and pecked me on the cheek. "See? It's not so hard. Do you think you can tackle the rest of these problems?"

I smiled and nodded. "I think so. Thank you, Jimmy. If only Miss Fowl was as patient as you are."

"If you ever need any help with your math or science homework, let me know, Cindy. I don't want you to feel ashamed if there's anything you don't understand."

He scooted closer to me and put his arm around my waist. My face flushed a bit. Anytime Jimmy started acting romantic, I became very nervous. I loved the attention he was giving me, but part of me worried that I would do something embarrassing to ruin the moment.

Thankfully, according to my watch, I had a good hour and a half left before it was time for me to be home, so I didn't have to panic.

Jimmy kissed my cheek again and I mustered enough courage to look deep into his eyes.

He took my hair out of its confined ponytail and ran his fingertips down my left arm. I shivered at his touch and once again, my heart began to race.

"I really like you, Cindy."

I think he was going to kiss me again. Sure enough, he leaned in and did just that. My eyes closed and my arms found their way around his neck. This time, instead of just a kiss, Jimmy was trying something different. He added a little bit of French kissing to the mix and before I knew it, we were engaged in our first makeout session ever.

He wrapped his arms tightly around me and massaged my back to calm my nervousness while we were kissing. I had never felt more alive than I did at that very moment. I let him dominate the entire makeout session because I was new to it, and I was still very shy when it came to kissing Jimmy. He tasted like bubblegum. I nearly melted. Making out with Jimmy was so exciting! I had never made out with a boy before. Now that I have, Jimmy is the only one I want to make out with. I can't see myself wanting to kiss anyone else.

When Jimmy and I pulled away to catch our breaths, I looked at my watch again. We had been making out for over an hour, but I still had time to get back home so my mother wouldn't be the wiser about what I was really doing.

I quickly finished my math and put my belongings back in my backpack. Jimmy frowned when I told him I had to leave for the evening, but he understood.

"Thank you for coming, Cindy," he whispered softly. He gave me a hug and kissed me one final time.

I waved to him as I left his lab, floating on air. I couldn't wait to tell Libby tomorrow what happened!

* * *

I walked through my front door at 6:30, which was the time I normally arrive home from my piano lesson. My mother didn't return home until well after seven and didn't suspect a thing.


	10. I Can't Stop Thinking About Her

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron. The quotes in bold were taken from a thread on physicsforums dot com.

_A/N: Cindy's thoughts and her chat with Libby are coming up in the next chapter._

_**Jimmy**_

Sometimes luck is on my side, and last night it most certainly was. I not only got to help Cindy with her math homework, but I also got to make out with her. I couldn't have been happier when she called to tell me that her piano lesson was canceled. The odds of that happening were very slim – it really was a pleasant surprise indeed.

I spent some time looking up "love" and "infatuation" on an online physics message board that I belong to. One person's findings concluded that boys and girls can develop "crushes" or an infatuation with each other at a very young age.

One forum member had this to say about it: **Kids between 10-12 start to 'notice' the opposite sex and some may even show feelings of strong love for one. But the thing is they don't show this feeling to anyone of the opposite sex, even if others are attractive or physically appealing as well. At that age people are not fully aware of society so any love is purely from the heart without much consideration to any other matters that adults consider like wealth etc. This raises the question whether preteen love is very 'accurate'?**

Another forum member had his own thoughts about the issue: **A 10 year-old's idea of a good lover is not quite as refined as it should be, which means a relationship starting at the age of 10 will probably not last forever.**

I mulled over these comments for a moment. Since we are both eleven years old, we are technically considered to be preteens. And my feelings for Cindy are very strong. I haven't felt this way about anyone before. But was what I was feeling infatuation or love? And would our relationship last forever, or just a few weeks or months?

I closed out my browser window and abandoned my chair. Society may tell me I'm too young to date, to kiss, or to even have an intimate moment with someone, but I was no longer going to worry about what society thought. I didn't feel the least bit guilty making out with Cindy. I've seen kids a year or two younger than I was experimenting with French kissing and making out, so why couldn't I? I could tell Cindy enjoyed it as much as I did. I was looking forward to doing it again.

I just wish her mother wasn't so restrictive about what she can and can't do. My adventures have not been the same without her on them, and I find myself spending more and more time either cooped up in my room or the lab all day with nothing to do. Cindy's been showing signs of burnout and depression, too. I wish I could take it all away so she could be happy.

I really like her. Not just a little bit, but a whole lot. From her long blonde hair, soft, perfect skin, and soft pink lips to her intelligence. I couldn't imagine how my life would be if she were ever ripped out of it forever. I cared for Cindy a great deal.

I left the lab and retired to my bedroom for the evening. I couldn't wait to see Cindy at school again tomorrow.

* * *

I woke up earlier than usual the next morning to send Cindy a text message. I was hoping maybe she could get out of the house early so we could spend a little time together before school. She answered me back a minute or two later with a "yes." I punched my fist in the air triumphantly. If there's a will, there's a way. Working around Cindy's mother's hectic schedule would be tough, but we could do it. Early morning mini-dates were a good idea. It would help take the edge off of having to wait for weeks until we could arrange another evening date, and since Cindy did not have any early morning activities, it would be easy for her to leave the house early for school without her mother becoming too suspicious. She would think Cindy was going to school early to get a head start on everyone else so that she wouldn't be late. It would work. It had to.

I left my house at around a quarter of eight. School didn't start until 8:45, and it only took fifteen minutes to walk to school, so we had a little time to talk and maybe share a kiss or two.

I walked a few blocks until I could see Cindy sitting on the sidewalk outside of Libby's house waiting for me. We agreed that this would be our meet-up place before school or any dates we might have. She was reading one of our novels for English class, so she didn't see me approach her. I sat down next to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up from her book and gave me a tiny, nervous smile. As silly as this sounds, I was actually quite flattered that I made her nervous. She is the only girl I've ever had this effect on.

I could feel her shiver when I caressed her arm. I hope she kept on doing whatever she did to keep her skin feeling so soft. I never tired of giving Cindy attention, even though I still wasn't very good at showing her how I felt.

After I caressed her arm, I grabbed her hand and helped her off the sidewalk. She put her book back into her book bag and we walked to school hand-in-hand. We were very quiet this morning. Neither one of us could think of a thing to talk about.

Once we arrived at school, we set our things at the bottom of the steps and sat down. I put my arm around her waist and we looked at each other for a moment. Then, just like last night, I found myself closing my eyes and leaning in until my lips touched hers. I decided to practice my French kissing again, so I kissed her slowly, softly probing my tongue into her mouth. Her tongue stayed in perfect sync with mine. It too, just like her skin, was so wonderful. She tasted like apples. My new kissing style was starting to become more natural to her and I could tell that she was becoming a little more comfortable with it. I didn't dare rush our makeout sessions – they were not only intimate (at least by an eleven-year old's standards), but very special for both of us.

We were about ten minutes in when we heard the noise of kids starting to arrive. I had to break the kiss so that no one would see us. She looked as if she might cry, and I was equally disappointed that our time together was so brief. I gave her a quick hug and went inside the school building. Cindy wanted to wait for Libby, so she stayed behind.

I met up with Sheen and Carl at my locker and we started discussing our usual topics – science, llamas, and Ultra Lord. So far, they didn't appear to have the slightest clue what Cindy and I have been up to and I hope it stayed that way. For now, life was good, and Cindy and I were blissful.


	11. Girl Talk

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

I have had a whirlwind past couple of days. I got to spend a lot more time with Jimmy this week than I had anticipated. He's been so amazing, and he's starting to become a little more patient and understanding about my situation at home.

I really didn't want our short makeout session to end this morning. We knew we had to stop kissing because we didn't want any of the other kids seeing us doing that kind of thing on school grounds, but I wish it would have lasted longer. Jimmy was the glue that was holding me together these days. The only time I am ever really happy is when I'm with him. Libby is as awesome of a best friend as I could ever have, but Jimmy is most of my everything. I would die if my mother found out about us and I never got to see him again. That thought scared me all the time. I tried to make every moment last as long as it could with Jimmy for that reason.

School was the same as it was every day. Jimmy and I have all but stopped arguing. Miss Fowl and even the rest of our classmates were disappointed that we were no longer fighting, since for them, that was the highpoint of their day. Our conduct had improved, however, and Miss Fowl was proud of us for putting our differences aside.

On another positive note, I received a 100% on my math homework from last night. Jimmy really is a great tutor.

Jimmy's friends had somehow managed to convince him to go on a little adventure after school. I had karate practice at 4:45, so Libby and I walked home from school together. Jimmy needed to spend some time with his friends anyway so they wouldn't become too suspicious about us. I was more than okay with him wanting to hang out with them.

I called my mother to let her know I was going to visit with Libby for a few minutes before my karate lesson. She told me as long as I wasn't late to my lesson that it was acceptable. I could have sworn I thought I saw her driving by in that fancy black car of hers just to make sure I was really with Libby and not Jimmy, but no matter. I was telling her the truth this time. Jimmy was not with me.

When Libby and I arrived at her house, we went up to her room, put our belongings on the floor, and lied on her bed.

"So, girl, how's things goin' with Jimmy?"

I took my ponytail holder out of my hair and started playing with it. A huge blush covered my entire face. She would be the very first (and only) person I told about this, and I was a little nervous.

"Libby, you're been really great about keeping things between Jimmy and I a secret. I just want to make sure that my secret is still safe with you so that no one will find out about it. Not Carl, not Sheen, not Britney, not anyone. If someone finds out, my mother will get wind of it and I'll be in serious trouble." I pleaded, looking into her dark brown eyes.

Libby grabbed my hands and squeezed them. "Cin, I won't tell anyone. I promise. Jimmy's my friend and I care about him too – I would be just as heartbroken as you would be if you never got to see him again." She crossed her heart, and I knew whenever she did that that she meant what she said. So far, she hasn't told anyone about the date Jimmy and I had a few nights ago, but I needed some reassurance. Libby then smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Somethin's goin' on with you two. You've been blushin' like crazy lately! Fill me in on the details!"

"Well," I said quietly, lying back down on Libby's bed as my face started to turn red again, "Jimmy and I…we've been…kinda, sorta…making out."

"No way! Cin, that's, great! That means he really, _really_ likes you. I was wonderin' what he was doin' with that kissin' book. What was it like? Did you enjoy it?" she squealed.

"My piano lesson was canceled yesterday. My mom wasn't home and I deleted the message my teacher left on our answering machine so she wouldn't know it had been canceled, which allowed me to pretty much do whatever I wanted for a few hours without her finding out. I needed some help with my math homework anyway, and since Jimmy wasn't busy, I snuck over to his lab. We were working on the assignment for awhile, and then, out of nowhere, Jimmy told me he really liked me, and we started making out. He French-kissed me a little bit, which caught me off-guard because I've never tried it before and I had no idea what I was doing, but he went really slow and I was able to catch on pretty quickly. I think we made out a little over an hour last night."

"Girl, that is amazin'. I am so happy for you! Did anything else happen?"

I blushed again. I felt like I had already told her enough and wasn't sure if I should even mention what happened this morning or not. Libby gave me an all-knowing smile. There was absolutely nothing I could put past her.

"Girl, you haven't told me everything. Your eyes don't deceive me. What else happened?"

I toyed with my ponytail holder a little more before I continued.

"Well…he and I French-kissed again this morning outside of the school building before everyone showed up. It was totally spontaneous – I really wasn't expecting it. But I wasn't really complaining, either. I was waiting for him by your house so we could walk to school and we decided to get there a little early to talk for a bit. We couldn't really think of anything to talk about, so we made out again. I became lost in the moment and never wanted it to end, but we had to stop after ten minutes because we heard kids coming and we didn't want them to know what we were doing. He chews gum a lot, because both times I made out with him he tasted just like bubble gum. And his tongue is so soft. I like him a lot, Libbs…"

I sighed dreamily and closed my eyes, letting my recent memories with Jimmy take me away. Neutron definitely had a spell over me, and I was starting to become a little more serious about him. I didn't want to scare him off, though, and I knew it was best for me to continue to take things slow. We had only been dating a month or two at the most. I wasn't quite ready to tell him that I loved him yet, regardless of the fact that I had nearly told him three times already. After all, we were still eleven.

Libby grinned. "If only Sheen could be half as romantic as Jimmy is. Our most romantic date so far has been watching reruns of _UltraLord_. I can see maybe watching one or two episodes, but four hours? Sheen isn't Sheen without his favorite TV show, though, and he wouldn't be the same without some kind of fandom to keep him going."

Her mother has been a lot more supportive about her relationship with Sheen than my mother has been about Jimmy.

"At least your mom is a little more open-minded about having a boyfriend than my mother is. She told me after she found out about my secret crush on Jimmy that I wasn't allowed to have a crush on him and that I was supposed to be his enemy. After all, _"you don't date your enemy." _I miss the adventures we used to have…the five of us. Mom won't let me go on any more adventures because she thinks that Jimmy's too dangerous and I shouldn't be hanging around him or his doofus friends. Everything I do has to be behind her back and I can't let anyone know about it, especially at school, because she will find out about it."

I sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, feeling quite irritated. Libby moved over and put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Everything you've told me today is our little secret. I'll make sure no one knows about this but us. My mom's not home anyway, but even if she were, she wouldn't tell a soul, either. Scout's honor."

I hugged Libby tight. "Thanks, girl. I really appreciate that."

My bond with Libby grew much stronger from that point forward. It felt so good to have a friend I could talk to about my moments with Jimmy. All girls need a best friend they can talk to about their boyfriends and I'm so thankful I have someone I can share this stuff with. I can trust her completely and that is a wonderful thing.


	12. The Text Message Affair

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Jimmy**_

Carl and Sheen somehow managed to talk me into going on a trip into space. It had been several months since the last time I had been on any kind of excursion. I've been on adventures with just the boys before, but now that Cindy and I were going out, it just wasn't the same without her there with me. I flat out refused to go on any adventures after Cindy was forbidden to be seen anywhere with me.

I knew, however, that I was being very selfish and decided to try again for my two best friends. We went on an expedition to Venus to collect some rare rock samples.

Nothing of any great importance happened on our trip as it was very brief. There weren't any signs of villain activity or any towns or planets in danger that needed to be saved, and I didn't want to start something that I would have to fix. I liked being able to take a trip into space that didn't have adventure, suspense, or even drama in it for a change. Sheen and Carl might have been bored senseless, but I appreciated the fact that they wanted to tag along and they were actually pretty well-behaved this time. They missed spending time with me as much as I missed spending time with them.

On our way back to Earth, Cindy consumed my thoughts once more. Some of these thoughts were 'what ifs,' while others revolved around the future of our relationship.

Had it not been for me having an extreme dislike for girls earlier in the school year, I probably might have dated her sooner. At the time, Cindy was the _last _person I wanted to even be seen with. The constant teasing and torment I received on a daily basis was enough to drive me insane, and it really hurt my feelings. I tried not to show it by attempting to outdo Cindy in everything at school. We almost always found something to debate about before, during, or even after school that usually turned into a huge argument. I had no idea she was doing all of this because she liked me.

Around March, things changed. Cindy was being nicer to me. She started wearing Eau D'Amino Acid perfume (my favorite), makeup (including that delicious apple lip-gloss), and showed off her figure in that spacesuit she wore when we went to Mars.

I began to notice Cindy the way I had once noticed Betty Quinlan, but obviously for different reasons. With Betty, I noticed her for her beauty and her kindness, but she only saw me as a mere acquaintance. Besides, how would I be able to kiss her when I'm much too short for her in stature?

I'm slowly figuring out what I've really been missing with Cindy. She's much prettier than Betty – I could run my fingers through her long blonde hair for hours on end. I've went on enough about how amazing her skin is, so I don't need to make any further mention about that. Kissing her has by far been the most pleasurable experience I have ever had, and something that I would always look forward to.

Then there's Cindy's brilliant intelligence. She is very smart and enjoys school as much as I do. She obtains good grades and loves to learn. She has a passion for math and science like I do, and even English. Whenever I show her a new invention, rather than mock me like she used to do, she actually takes an interest and becomes excited. I took great pleasure in teaching her about how things worked and what was beyond our solar system.

I've never felt like this about anyone before. Even though we haven't been dating for very long, we've known each other for two years. My family and I moved to Retroville when I was in third grade and while Cindy and I had a mostly love/hate relationship, it seemed like I had known her my entire life from the clothes that she wore to her favorite food. What sealed the deal was being stranded on the island with her. In those few short days before we were rescued, we spent a lot of time talking and hanging out. I spent hours going through 137 oysters until I found the perfect pearl to give her. And when I finally did give it to her, her eyes lit up with a joy that I just can't put into words. She allowed me to hold her hand for the very first time as we watched the sun set, and from that moment forward, I knew I wanted to become something other than her enemy. That was a life-changing event for me. One I will never forget.

I wasn't the only one in Miss Fowl's class who was dating. Nick was dating Betty and Sheen was dating Libby. Times sure have changed since my parents were growing up. Back in those days, kids didn't start dating until they were at least thirteen or fourteen years old. Eleven-year-old boys and girls didn't date because it socially wasn't accepted. Children my age were supposed to be kids, doing what kids do – playing sports, going to the movies, reading, watching a superhero show on television. If you were caught dating, you were laughed at and mocked for it. The reason I know this is because my parents dated when they were eleven and had to put up with a lot of teasing and taunting by their classmates at school.

In a lot of ways, I take after my parents in that respect. I never thought I would start liking girls this soon. Nevertheless, being with Cindy felt so right. Cindy was ideally not only the most perfect friend I could ever have, but the perfect girlfriend. My first girlfriend. There were so many things I wanted to show her. So many places I wanted to take her. I didn't want to just explore the world with her; I wanted to explore the entire galaxy with her.

I suddenly had a split-second brain blast. Why not explore the entire galaxy with her? School would be out in about six weeks for summer vacation. I could plan the entire trip out carefully and maybe even fool Cindy's mother into thinking that she was going to an academic camp instead. It was worth a shot, anyway. While my other friends only took a slight interest in space exploration, Cindy found it to be exhilarating. I can only hope she will say yes. It was a question that would have to be asked the closer we got to summer vacation. Not right away. I wanted to spend more time with Cindy before we started to get too serious. That is, if we ever get serious. I'm not ready for that just yet because I haven't been out with her long enough to know how she really feels about me.

I landed my spaceship behind the clubhouse and allowed everyone to get off. Sheen went home to watch another episode of _UltraLord_ and Carl went home to work on his homework, leaving me alone. It was a quarter of six and I still had homework to do too, but it would have to wait until after dinner. It was time for me to get cleaned up and ready to eat with my family.

* * *

After dinner, I went up to my room to start work on my homework. I was feeling a little brave that night. I decided to turn on my cellular device so I could talk to Cindy via text message. As luck would have it, there were several text messages waiting for me in my inbox, all of them from her. I smiled as I scrolled down to the very first message, which was sent about an hour ago. I couldn't wait to read what she had to tell me, even if she was telling me she walked the dog or finished her homework. Any text from her, no matter how insignificant it might be, was important to me because it was coming from the person I admired.

I pressed the "okay" button to view the message. _"Jimmy – karate practice was okay. How was your trip to space? Anything exciting happen? Talk to you later."_

I went back to my inbox and opened my next message. _"I'm having trouble with my math homework again. I wish you were here to help me."_

How I wished I could be there. A little homework, a little kissing…. Oh, pukin' Pluto, I can't stop thinking about her! Next message.

"_Mom's home, so you can't come over. More later."_

Just my luck. Frowning, I opened the final message from her. She sent it a few minutes ago. _"Text me back soon. I really miss you."_

I pressed the "reply" button. I sort-of knew what I was going to say, so I keyed in my response.

"_Cindy – space trip was okay. Nothing exciting happened. I miss you too." _

When I was finished, I hit the "send" key and put my phone down, awaiting her reply.

I worked a little on my science homework while I waited for Cindy to answer, which didn't take very long. An alert sounded a few minutes later indicating that there was a new text message in my inbox. I quickly opened it up and read it.

"_Nothing exciting? That's a first. Still working on my math homework."_

I smiled. That was typical Cindy. On nearly every space trip I've ever taken, something always seems to happen. Today was a rare occurrence.

I sent her another message back. _"Finishing up my science homework here. Still having trouble with the math?"_

It was about an hour before I heard from her again, which allowed me to complete all of my homework. Being a genius does have its advantages sometimes – I usually get done with homework in about an hour or less depending on how many assignments Miss Fowl gives us.

I put my school books back into my backpack, picked up my dating book, and began to read again. I finished the kissing book last night which had a wealth of information that aided me in showing my affection towards Cindy a little better. I found several other kissing techniques in the book that I'm hoping I will get to try with her on our next meeting.

I'm not finding the dating book to be near as interesting as the kissing book. There are a few ideas of places I might be able to take Cindy that I haven't thought of on my own, but most of the dates in the book are rather obvious. Regardless, I'm going to finish the book in case there might be something of use to me later.

My text message alert went off again when I was several pages into my book and I went to check my phone.

"_I figured out the math the best I could. Mom came in and started lecturing me about my grades again. My math grade is slipping."_

"_What is your grade in there right now?" _I asked. Several seconds later, she answered, _"B+."_

I know a B+ isn't as good as an A, but that's a very good grade. One of many reasons why I liked Cindy so much was because she wasn't perfect. She didn't have to try to be something she wasn't to win my affection because she'd have it as long as she wanted it.

Her mother really made me irate sometimes. She was being entirely too hard on her. If she weren't keeping Cindy so busy with the numerous after-school activities she has her involved in, along with all the other stress she puts her under, Cindy probably wouldn't feel so worn out all the time and in turn, her math grade wouldn't be suffering (even though it really isn't in the first place). Cindy works hard and puts effort into everything she does, including schoolwork, and I admired her willingness to never give up.

Since I couldn't stand to see Cindy in this predicament, I wrote her back, telling her I'd help her tomorrow morning before school with her math.

"_You don't have to do this for me."_

"_Cindy, I want to. Let me help you."_

It took Cindy a few minutes to answer my last text message. She must have been thinking it over. I hoped she would say yes because I cared about her. Her mother grounded her a few months ago for losing a karate tournament and she wasn't allowed to hang out with any of us, Libby included, for an entire month. I definitely wouldn't put it past her if she grounded Cindy for a B+ in math.

After five agonizing minutes, she wrote me back. _"Okay. Can we meet up again tomorrow morning early like we did today?"_

"_Yes," _I replied, _"In fact, maybe we should meet a little earlier than we did this morning so we'll have some extra time to look over the homework."_

"_You're so sweet, Jimmy. Thank you for offering me your help. I promise I will repay you for this somehow."_

Because Cindy ran out of characters, she immediately sent me a second text. _"Maybe we could do something next Friday after school? My karate teacher told me today he was going to be out of town next week."_

Cindy didn't have to repay me at all for my tutoring services. I didn't mind helping her at all. But another opportunity to go out with Cindy was an opportunity I wouldn't pass up for anything. The thought made me grin ear to ear.

"_Consider it repaid," _I texted back.


	13. Tutor Time with Jimmy

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_A/N: You can now get updates on my stories on twitter. My username is cutie5fanfics._

_**Cindy**_

I didn't sleep at all last night. All I could hear was the sound of my mother's voice threatening to ground me for all eternity if I didn't bring my B+ in math up to an A. The way she was lecturing me, you'd think I was failing the subject. When I woke up the next morning, my stomach was in knots, which is typical of how my body reacts whenever I'm under a lot of stress.

It was 6:15 a.m. and I was supposed to meet Jimmy at our meet-up spot by 7 a.m. for math tutoring. Lindbergh Elementary usually opened up by that time so there would be a few people there. My mother shouldn't suspect anything seeing as how I'm going to school and all, but since I would be leaving earlier than usual, the thought of her finding out did cross my mind.

I tried to block any negative thoughts out of my mind while I was showering and getting ready for the day. I decided to try some new strawberry shampoo and conditioner and some strawberry body wash I bought at the store the other day to be a little different. I normally wore jasmine, but I wanted to change things up.

After my shower, I changed into my usual clothes, applied some makeup, put my hair up it its usual ponytail, and bolted down the stairs with my backpack.

I grabbed an apple from the kitchen, which these days has been my usual morning breakfast. I don't eat all that much and it shows. I've lost a few pounds. Strangely enough, my mother actually wasn't there this morning. I found a new note sitting in the usual spot on the kitchen table.

_Cynthia,_

_Early meeting at work this morning. Don't forget your piano lesson after school and come straight home afterwards to do your homework._

I rolled my eyes. It was Wednesday already. I'm sure Madame Jones was probably over her illness by now, so my lessons would most likely resume. I dreaded piano lessons but in general, I dreaded all of my lessons.

I completely forgot to mention that my mother works for a marketing firm. She's an assistant to the CEO. That's pretty much how she can afford all the pricey lessons and clothes I have. She lets me buy my own clothes which is one perk in my otherwise hectic life.

I was quite thankful my mother was gone. I could leave for school early and she wouldn't know. And now that it was April, the sun was starting to come up a little earlier. I could see it starting to rise as I left the house. A summerlike day was on tap, and part of me wished Jimmy and I could play hooky from school to enjoy the nice weather. At least I was going to spend time with him this morning, even though we'd be studying, and with my karate teacher going out of town late next week, we'd have the following Friday to spend together.

* * *

I headed up the sidewalk towards Libby's house and spent some time admiring all of the beautiful flowers on the trees. Spring was one of the most romantic times of the year and my favorite season.

Jimmy was already there waiting for me, and I could tell he was quite tired. He was sitting on Libby's concrete steps with his eyes half-closed. I hope he didn't stay up all night worrying about me.

Jimmy must have seen my shadow standing next to him because he looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back. He stood up and grabbed his backpack, and then we walked to school holding hands.

It was still fairly early (about five minutes to seven), so there weren't too many people out and about yet. It was almost as if Jimmy and I were the only two people in the whole town that were awake and everyone else was still asleep. I took in more of the beautiful flowers and greenery while we were walking, every now and then looking at Jimmy. He squeezed my hand as a sign of affection.

Once we reached the school building, Jimmy took me around back where the playground was. He motioned me towards a large tree that was a short distance away from the playground. It was the perfect spot for us to work uninterrupted, at least until 8:30 or so.

Jimmy was thinking ahead this morning. We set our stuff on the ground and he pulled a picnic tablecloth out of his book bag and placed it on the ground so our books and papers wouldn't get too dirty. He also took out a few seating pads so we wouldn't get too uncomfortable.

Next, we took out our math books, notebooks, and pencils and just as we had done two days ago, we turned to the page where our assignment was.

I just barely grasped how to simplify rational expressions, and now I had to start dividing and multiplying with them? School was starting to wear me out.

"What were you having trouble with?" Jimmy asked softly, speaking to me for the first time this morning.

I flipped through a few pages of my notebook until I found where I put my homework and handed it to him.

"I didn't know what I was doing at all last night," I frowned, looking at the problems, "I'm usually pretty good with math, too. I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel a little embarrassed asking you to help me again."

I often worried that Jimmy would tease me since I was supposed to be the second smartest person in our class, but he didn't show any sign of that at all. The look on his face was very serious. He really wanted to help me.

He put little asterisks next to the problems I did incorrectly, which only took a few minutes. When he was finished, he looked back up at me.

"Don't be embarrassed, Cindy. I don't mind. Let's look at this problem," he said, pointing to question number 3: "Y squared minus 9 over y squared minus 3 y times y over y squared plus 9 y plus 18."

I nodded and focused my eyes on the problem.

"You factored the numerator and denominator, wrote out the fraction, and simplified the rational expression correctly, but you do seem to be having some difficulty with multiplying the remaining factors in the numerator and denominator. Let me show you."

Jimmy wrote this fraction out on my paper: **(y+3)(y-3)y over y(y-3)(y+6)(y+3).**

"You need to simplify this fraction by dividing out the common factors of (y+3), (y-3), and y. That leaves you with 1 over y plus 6. The values that would be excluded from the domain are 0, 3, -6, and -3. These are the values that make the original denominator equal to 0."

"The excluded values are 0, 3, -6, and -3?"

"Yes."

Still feeling a little lost, I asked him to go over a few more problems with me. Jimmy was happy to do so, explaining them all the same. There were a few division problems thrown in as well which I appeared to do even worse on. He was patient with me every step of the way.

I went to a clean page in my notebook and redid my homework after Jimmy finished helping me. I even worked on a few extra problems Miss Fowl gave us for extra credit. I had skipped them last night because I became so frustrated with the assignment that I gave up on it. Jimmy looked over everything I did when I was finished and gave me his two thumbs up seal of approval.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief as Jimmy and I put away our books. It was about 8:15. We had been working for quite awhile.

"Thank you for helping me, Jimmy."

Jimmy beamed. "Glad to do it, Cindy."

His arm went around my shoulders and he pulled me close. "Cindy?" he spoke softly.

"Hmm?"

He responded by caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes, relishing his touch. I didn't receive any kind of affection at home from my mother. Jimmy was the only one who gave me any kind of affection at all, but I was now starting to get used to it and enjoying every romantic moment I spent with him. I trusted him, knowing he wouldn't hurt me.

I kept my eyes closed, anticipating that his next move was going to be a kiss. I anticipated correctly. I could feel his lips press softly against mine and once again, another giddy thrill ran through my entire body. His tongue melted into my mouth and my tongue knew exactly what to do. He was such an amazing kisser. French kissing was one of the best kissing techniques for making out with someone, and I was becoming very accustomed to it. Jimmy knew how to do it just right so that it wasn't overdone – it was always very innocent, but sincere.

I never thought Neutron could kiss me like this. He blew me away.

And to think I had fawned all over Nick at the beginning of the school year and Jimmy had fawned all over Betty. Who could forget the _Macbeth in Space_ fiasco four months ago, or just two months ago when Jimmy tried to become a magician to please her? I remember how angry and jealous I was because I wanted Jimmy all to myself. And now, I do finally have him all to myself. He actually liked me all along. All of this was too good to be true.

Jimmy and I were aware that we were running out of time when, just like yesterday, we could hear the sound of kids getting off of busses and headed straight towards the school building. Some of our classmates normally hit the playground a few minutes before school started to catch up with their friends on what they had been up to last night, and Butch always had his morning bully-training rituals. We certainly knew better than to stick around.

I quickly grabbed my belongings and was about to leave when Jimmy gently grabbed my arm.

"Cindydoyouwanttogosteady?"

He was speaking so fast I could barely understand him. Did he say what I just thought he said?

"What?"

He slowed down, speaking much softer so no one could hear him. "Will you go steady with me?"

My jaw dropped. I was speechless. I didn't have any time left to think with the bell ringing in about ten minutes, and I didn't know what to say. This was a bad time for him to ask me such a question, especially now, in public, where anyone could overhear us. Then there was the question of whether or not I was ready to go to the next level. It almost seemed as if Jimmy was asking me this on the spur of the moment.

I shook my head. "I have to go. I'll see you in class."

And with that, I took off for the school building. He looked so heartbroken as I was leaving him, and I already felt guilty. I needed know how serious he was about me before I went any further with him. I still didn't know if this relationship was for real or if this was a dirty trick. This kind of decision required more time. Our next date was one week from this Friday. Surely I could postpone my answer a week.

* * *

I made it to Miss Fowl's room with a few minutes to spare. Jimmy walked in a minute or two later with an irritated look on his face. I tried to smile at him, but he glared and looked away from me. Somehow, I got the feeling that my answer in regards to going steady with him was indeed the wrong one and today was not going to be the best of days.

I sat at my desk, mentally kicking myself as Miss Fowl took roll. I didn't have as much time as I thought to give him my answer. He was _very_ serious.


	14. The Argument

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_A/N: Follow my story updates on twitter. My username is cutie5fanfics._

_**Jimmy**_

I can't believe Vortex would say no to me. I had given our relationship so much thought last night, I could barely even sleep. I should have stuck with my instincts and not my hormones. She didn't want to go steady with me, so it's rather obvious that she still wants to see other people, even though _I'm her boyfriend_! I wasn't planning on ever seeing anyone else, but having Cindy go steady with me would have finally made it official that we cared about each other. She just had to shake her head no and run off – after I helped with her homework for over an hour this morning. Can you believe that?

I really felt betrayed. I wanted to be with her more than anyone else in the entire galaxy, and she didn't seem to feel the same way I do. For all I knew, she was faking it whenever I made out with her. The nerve of her using me like that.

I could definitely take a hint when I wasn't wanted. She could get herself a new math tutor and a new boyfriend. I didn't need her.

It was difficult to avoid Cindy knowing I had to sit with her in class all day, but at least she didn't say anything to me. Lunch, however, was another matter altogether.

Today was pizza day. I decided to buy my lunch rather than bring it from home. The line moved relatively quick and I was in and out of line in less than five minutes. As I was walking towards my usual table where I sat with Sheen and Carl, I heard someone call my name. Naturally, I stopped for half a second to see who it was. It was Cindy. She was trying to smile at me again, but I wouldn't have any of it. I scowled at her and kept walking. I could see a few tears in her eyes. I didn't care about that, either. I was furious with her.

Cindy was not going to take silence as an answer. Once I sat down and started eating, she marched right up to our table.

"Neutron, we need to talk. Right now."

"Begone, Vortex. I have nothing to say to you," I replied angrily, taking another bite of my pizza.

"This is real mature. You ask me a question I had absolutely no time to answer and then you get mad at me for not giving you the answer you wanted to hear. You're coming with me whether you like it or not."

Cindy grabbed my arm roughly, pulling me half-way out of my chair. This further enraged me since I did not want to talk to her.

"This is preposterous. Put me down, Vortex!"

Of course Cindy being the strong-willed person she could be at times, ignored my protests and yanked me out of my chair, leaving a stunned Carl and Sheen behind. I could only hope they wouldn't find out later what was going on.

She pulled me outside and led me back to the tree we were sitting under earlier this morning. Finally, after several painful minutes, (she held my arm so tightly that it hurt) she let me go.

"All right, Neutron. You said you wanted to go steady with me and I shook my head no. You know why? Because that was a very serious question you asked me. I needed to think about it. I hate it when you get angry at me over something like this."

I sighed. She had a point. It was a very serious question to ask. Her reasoning did not convince me at all.

"Do you even know what going steady **means**, Vortex?"

Cindy bit her lip and paced for a minute or two. "Yes, I do."

I ignored her answer. "Well, in case you might not, let me refresh your memory. It means you no longer date other people because you care about the person you are with."

"I _said_ I know what it means, King Cranium! You don't need to quote me verbatim from a dictionary!"

"Actually, I think I do, because you obviously want to shop around some more before you make up your mind about us!"

"I never said that!" she exclaimed, glaring at me heatedly.

"You sure had me fooled when we were making out the last couple of times."

"Cut it out, Neutron!"

"And the math tutoring gag. Real clever. _I won't get an A in math without your help, Jimmy! Oh, woe is me! Please help me!_"

"Neutron…" she growled warningly.

"Please forgive me," I hissed, "I completely forgot to mention the whole 'keeping our relationship a secret from your mother' trick. As if I couldn't see right through that façade. For all I know she's probably telling you to go out with me so you'll find out all of the secrets I have. Then when you're done with me, you'd just toss me aside and laugh about how you used Jimmy Neutron and he fell for it. Maybe you'd even tell the entire school about it so EVERYONE would laugh at me. Wouldn't that be a sight to see?"

Cindy finally had enough at that point, and smacked me hard across my face. It stung a great deal and I could tell my face was probably quite red where she hit me. It shut me up.

"You know, I gave your question a lot of thought this morning and was about to change my mind about going steady with you, but you're clearly not ready for a meaningful relationship. I most certainly made the right decision this morning. I wouldn't want to go steady with you now, or ever. We are so over, Neutron."

She ran back to the school building, leaving me standing there alone to nurse my swollen face.

_Pukin' Pluto, what have I done?_

I knew I'd gone too far, but I was livid. I didn't have any evidence to prove that all of these hypotheses were true and I probably overreacted.

I couldn't understand why Cindy wouldn't want to go steady with me. I liked her so much that I was beginning to fall in love with her, and I couldn't help it, either. She was attractive (what I wouldn't give to see her in that space suit again), smart, and sensitive. Cindy was amazing! I was dating the most beautiful girl in my entire class.

Me and my big mouth. I messed up big time. Arguing was taking us two giant steps backwards, and that's not where I wanted to go with our relationship.

I trudged back into Miss Fowl's classroom feeling awful. Luckily, everyone else was coming back in from recess (our recess usually followed lunch) so I wasn't late. The redness on my face had now subsided and wasn't as obvious, but that was due to the fact that I spent a good ten minutes in the boy's restroom sticking my face under cold water.

Cindy refrained from speaking to me the rest of the afternoon. I didn't blame her. I wouldn't speak to me either after how I acted towards her. I deserved it.

The final hours of school dragged on until the bell finally rang. I wrote my homework assignments down in my agenda, and went to my locker to collect my things.

Cindy was not waiting for me when I left the premises. Instead, I saw a fuming Libby standing at the bottom of the steps.

"Cindy told me what happened. How could you?"

A lone tear fell down my cheek. "I asked Cindy if she wanted to go steady with me and she turned me down. I was mad at her because I didn't think she cared about me."

I broke down and started crying. I felt so horrible about the things I said. Things I would never be able to take back. Libby's face instantly softened as she sat down next to me and put her arm around my shoulders.

"I didn't mean it, Libby," I wept, "I should have respected Cindy's wishes. She doesn't have to go steady with me if she doesn't want to. I'm so sorry."

Libby rubbed my back and tried to console me as best she could. "I know you didn't mean it. But you do owe Cindy one heck of an apology if you ever want to see her again. She's really hurt. She was in tears when she left a few minutes ago."

I sniveled the last of my remaining tears and looked up at her. If I couldn't get through to Cindy, Libby had to know how I really felt about Cindy so that maybe she could get through to her.

"I'm falling in love with her. Einstein knows I've tried to ignore my feelings by pretending I didn't feel as strongly about Cindy as I do, but I can't hide them anymore. That's why I wanted to go steady with her. I don't want to see other people anymore…not that I have. I only want Cindy. Society can tell me I'm too young to fall in love if it wants to. I don't care anymore."

Libby smiled. "Cindy likes you a lot more than you think. Going steady is a very big commitment, especially for an eleven-year-old. I bet if you apologized she would accept your request to go steady with her."

Libby handed me a tissue so I could wipe the last few years from my eyes. I returned her smile. "You're right. I need to apologize to her."

"She's probably half-way to Madame Jones' house for her piano lesson by now. If you don't want to wait until tomorrow to make an apology, you'd better get going."

I remembered that I brought a spare jetpack with me just in case. It was in my locker.

"I'll be right back."

I dashed back into school and grabbed the jet pack from my locker. I strapped the device on me and came back outside. Libby grinned.

"Jimmy, you are _so_ good. I hope you make it!"

I waved to her and took to the skies to look for Cindy. Taking into account everything that transpired today, I hoped she would want to see me.


	15. Steady

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

Tears streamed down my face as I made my way to Madame Jones' house for my piano lesson. Word has it that she was indeed doing better so it was definitely on for today.

That was the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. I replayed our argument from lunch over and over in my mind. I couldn't get the hurtful accusations he made out of my thoughts. Whenever we made out, when I kissed him back, I meant it. And I don't know where he was going with the math tutoring thing – why would he think I was using him to help me with my grade? I really was struggling, and I very much needed the help. I was grateful to have the help, too.

What stung the most was when he tried to accuse me of using him so I could gain access any secrets he might have. My mother would never in a million years have me date Jimmy just so I could steal whatever secrets he has about his lab or his genius genes or whatever else because she doesn't like me hanging around him period. I wasn't about to give her any ideas, either. By no means would I _ever_ betray him like that. I liked Jimmy because he was kind, romantic, and very compassionate. He's put me first on so many occasions lately, just because he cared for me. Helping me with my homework, or even just simply holding my hand or kissing me makes Jimmy the most selfless boy I've ever known.

I was the one being selfish here. I should have accepted his proposal to be his steady. Once you get to the point where the kisses are more than just mere pecks, it's rather obvious that person is serious about you. The making out stage signifies a major turning point in a relationship – from casual boyfriend/girlfriend puppy-love to something much more serious.

Just a few days ago, I was willing myself not to get too involved with Jimmy until we were both ready, but now, I feel we are ready. The only thing holding me back was fear. Fear that my mother would find out and rip me away from him forever. Fear that Jimmy might tire of the relationship and move on to bigger and better things. We were still kids, after all. Just eleven. Not old enough to get married, and definitely not old enough to comprehend the meaning of love. Most children our age experienced puppy-love relationships that were usually short-lived, because they didn't know what commitment was, nor were they ready for that. One or two dates were usually about as far as it went, and maybe one or two light kisses, and then before you know it, you're in love with someone else the next week. That's typical of most childhood relationships.

Our relationship wasn't a typical childhood relationship. It was a little more adult for us because Jimmy and I had been through so much together. Each adventure I went on with him seemed to draw me closer and closer to him. He's saved my life countless times and did so many wonderful things for me since we've been dating. I had a feeling we were going to be together for a long time, too.

One of the reasons I was crying was because I was partially heartbroken and partially scared. Plus, I had to carry a humongous lead weight around my shoulders for hitting Jimmy. His accusations made me so angry, I didn't know how else to react except the way I typically did when anyone gave me any kind of trouble. The old Cindy came out today - the Cindy I thought was long gone, but had somehow reared its ugly head once more.

I'd hurt Jimmy, not only physically, but mentally as well. Two wrongs do not make a right. Jimmy wasn't any more right than I was for acting the way he did, and I had no right to hit him. I wouldn't blame him at all if he never spoke to me again after today. I had told him it was over between us.

I heard something flying overhead that made my ears perk up somewhat. I looked up to see what the commotion was all about and saw that it was Jimmy flying overhead. What could he possibly be doing up there?

My question was about to be answered when he spotted me out of the corner of his eye and landed in front of me, nearly catching me off balance. I almost fell on top of him because I was still walking while I was gazing up at the sky and had no idea he was going to come down.

I began to tear up when I saw him. His cheek had developed a bruise where I'd hit him and my heart broke in a million pieces. I felt even more ashamed now than ever. I hated myself.

"Jimmy…" I whimpered softly. My stomach began to hurt, twisting itself in knots.

We needed to find someplace else we could go for some privacy, since standing on a sidewalk next to a stranger's house was not the best place to apologize. Jimmy instructed me to hold onto him tight. He was going to fly me back to his house for a few minutes, then drop me off at Madame Jones' house.

I held on tight as Jimmy activated the jet pack and blasted off. It didn't take long to reach Jimmy's lab. Before I knew it, we'd landed.

We entered the lab and sat down on Jimmy's couch. I couldn't hold the tears back anymore. I started to bawl uncontrollably. I would never forgive myself the rest of my life for slapping him, and that bruise would most certainly be on my mind for quite awhile.

Jimmy pulled me into his arms and I laid my head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry." we both said simultaneously.

I must have cried at least a half an hour, with Jimmy rubbing my back, comforting me the entire time. I honestly don't remember because I wasn't keeping track of the time. I knew I'd either be really late or miss my piano lesson. That was a risk I had to take. I needed him right now.

He removed my ponytail holder as he customarily did when we were alone in an intimate setting and tangled his fingers into my hair. I gently rubbed Jimmy's cheek where I struck him and kissed it several times.

"I'm so sorry I hit you. I don't know what came over me, and I wouldn't blame you for hating me one bit for doing that."

Jimmy pulled away from our embrace and took both of my hands in his. His eyes were locked with mine and all I could do was stare into his ocean blue eyes, no longer filled with anger or hatred, but with remorse and sadness.

"I deserved it. I was acting inappropriately and for that, I'm the one who should be apologizing. Not you."

A single, leftover teardrop fell from my face. I was so sure he was going to break up with me right there. The next words that came out of his mouth took me by complete surprise and shock.

"Cindy, I wanted to go steady with you because, well, I'm starting to like you in a way I never thought I would before. I think about you and worry about you all the time whenever I'm not with you. I enjoy spending time with you, and it has been an honor to be your first boyfriend. There's electricity when I make out with you. I'm on cloud nine when I make out with you! Everything feels so _right_ when I'm with you. I don't want to see other people. I want to see you. There's so many places I want to take you and so many things I want to show you. When you turned down my request this morning, I didn't think you felt the same way about me and the thought of you seeing anyone else bothered me."

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. He really was serious about me. The only thing he hadn't told me yet, and I was still waiting to hear, was that he loved me. That could wait, of course, though a huge part of me ached to hear those words.

Jimmy pulled me into another embrace. He ran his fingertips up and down my arm. I almost giggled because his touch was so gentle it was sometimes ticklish. My body fell limp at that moment and I closed my eyes. With all the pressures and stresses of home and school, I needed this kind of attention. Jimmy knew how to take away all of my stresses and make me feel so relaxed.

Next, Jimmy softly caressed my cheek. He held me a little tighter in his arms, but not too tight. Every so often, his lips would brush against my cheek, my forehead, or lightly against my own lips. He then massaged my back. Any time he would find a stress point, he would spend lots of extra time rubbing that particular spot.

I opened my eyes and looked into his. He smiled, and I smiled back. Then, Jimmy closed his eyes and leaned forward, prompting me to shut my eyes again. His lips met mine and I became lost in his kiss. He had no idea what effect his kisses had on me. I craved them the way I used to crave Purple Flurp, only this was way better than that. He still tasted like bubblegum, and everything felt right once more, just as Jimmy had said. I could undeniably feel that electricity he was telling me about, too.

I let Jimmy kiss me as long as he wanted to this time, forgetting the piano lesson, my homework, and everything else. This was the moment for everything.

* * *

_Several hours later…_

"Wow…" was all we could both whisper, when we eventually pulled away. If we set another new record for the longest amount of time spent kissing each other, I wouldn't be surprised.

"Cindy?" he asked nervously.

"Yes?" I responded softly, feeling a few nervous butterflies in my stomach. I sort-of knew what he was going to ask me, but I waited patiently for him to speak.

"Will you reconsider my offer to go steady with me? You don't have to if you don't want to."

He turned away from me several seconds later. He was on the verge of tears, fully expecting me to say no for a second time just as I had this morning. I was not going to do any such thing. I had finally made my decision.

I rested my hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want to see anyone else, Jimmy. I want to go steady with you, too."

Jimmy's face instantly lit up.

"You mean it?"

I grinned. "I mean it."

Jimmy got up and ran to his book bag to get something out of it. When he came back, he was holding a small box in his hands.

"I have something for you." he said, handing the box to me.

My hands trembled as I opened it very carefully. I gasped when I saw what was inside. It was a silver necklace with two charms on it – a heart and Jimmy's atom symbol.

He took the necklace out of my hands and put it around my neck. "I bought the tiny little heart and the chain with my allowance money, and I made the atom symbol out of scrap silver."

I lovingly traced my fingers over two charms. After the pearl, this was the second nicest thing Jimmy had ever done for me.

"It's beautiful. I love it."

Jimmy placed his arms around my neck and spoke to me in a soft, quiet voice. "This necklace symbolizes the strong feelings I have for you. No matter how far apart we are, if you wear my necklace, I will always be here."

He kissed me gently and ran his fingers through my hair one more time.

Sadly, I knew it was well past time for me to go, and when I looked at the clock, I realized I was going to be in so much trouble with my mother. It was a quarter of 8. I've been down in Jimmy's lab for nearly three-and-a-half hours.

I quivered in fear uncontrollably. "Oh, no…"

Jimmy also looked up at the clock. He didn't seem to be too worried. He made his way over to the pile of inventions (which were now neatly organized) and grabbed one of them off the shelves.

"My latest invention, Cindy. The Neutronic Time Restorer. It can roll the clock back to a specific time of day. I can set it up to take you back to 3:05, about the time we got out of school, and get you to your piano lesson. Your mom and your music teacher will never know, and it won't wipe out any of your memories from this afternoon. You'll still have the necklace I gave you and we'll still remember the time we spent together."

I gave him the most confident look I could give him. Honestly, I believed Jimmy. I knew he would do anything he could to fix this situation for me, and I was willing to try any of his inventions at least once. I love it when he tells me about his new inventions because of my natural desire to learn and my love of learning in general. Jimmy made science fun, and that's one of the many reasons why I liked him so much.

I didn't want to leave. However, at the same time, I knew if I stayed and we tried the invention out later and it malfunctioned, I would be in even more trouble than I already was.

"We'd better try it now, Jimmy, in case it doesn't work for some reason."

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "The invention works about 90% of the time, but there is a 10% chance it might not work since it still has a few bugs in it. I feel fairly confident it will work. Nevertheless, now is probably as good a time as any to make sure that it still functions as well as it did when I tested it yesterday."

He turned on the invention and punched in today's date. There was a special knob on the device that had all of the times on it. He turned it back to 3:05. Finally, he pressed the "go" button, and I could hear the device start up and see a few lights flashing and blinking.

I looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping it would work. The time we were together was well worth any scolding I might receive. Even with that said, I was still scared of my mother. I had nightmares every night about her finding out about us, most of them ending with my mother imprisoning me in my room or removing me from Retroville for good so I would never get to see him again. It was so hard to live a double life the way I did on a daily basis.

While the invention was still working its magic, I cried.


	16. Jimmy and Cindy Make Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Jimmy**_

As time started going backwards, the clocks were doing the same. Cindy looked very uncomfortable and worried which was understandable. My inventions did not _always_ work, so I was very much surprised that the one time I actually needed something to work, it did. After about a minute, all of the clocks had been moved back to 3:05 and the invention had completed its task without any problems.

Cindy and I went outside to double-check. Busses were making their way through our neighborhood dropping off kids, and the sun was sitting high up in the sky. Cindy breathed a deep sigh of relief and all the fear and worry seemed to disappear from her expression entirely. She went back into the lab to grab her belongings, and then came back outside. I put my jetpack on and we both wrapped our arms around each other tightly as I took off.

Several moments later, I located the spot Cindy was standing in at the time I found her earlier. Since I wasn't sure exactly where Cindy's piano teacher lived, this spot would be as good a place as any to drop her off.

We touched down on the sidewalk. Regardless of all the progress and headway we had made together today, I had to let her return to her normal life until we could see each other again tomorrow morning. It was the right thing to do.

I reached forward and touched her face softly with my fingertips. She closed her eyes and a tear slipped down her cheek. Words couldn't explain how I felt at that moment. Unable to think of a way to express my thoughts, I leaned in and kissed her goodbye, prolonging it as much as time would allow me. Leaving each other was always the hardest thing for both of us.

When we parted, I gave Cindy a loving hug.

"Remember the necklace, Cindy," I whispered softly, "I will always be here every time you wear it."

Cindy nodded and smiled. "I know." she whispered back. She gently pulled away from me and turned to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I said.

"You too, Jimmy."

She didn't thank me for what I did, but she didn't have to. I did it because I cared. As a general rule, I don't like to tamper with the laws of time and space, but just this once, I knew I could make an exception. My invention bought us some much-deserved extra time alone together that would not have been possible otherwise.

Given that I didn't often go on as many adventures, I had lots of free time to invent (in addition to reading up on dating). As a result, I used the time to come up with a few inventions that would allow Cindy and me to spend a little extra time together every now and then.

I also used some of my extra time to construct the necklace I gave to her. I did a lot of household chores and saved up my allowance for weeks to buy the chain and the heart-shaped charm for part of Cindy's necklace. I found a piece of scrap silver at the scrap yard that cost mere pennies for me to obtain, and it took a small amount of effort to make my famous atom's symbol out of just a tiny piece of the silver with a little hole to slide it onto the chain. It turned out quite well on my first attempt which surprised me since making charms for jewelry wasn't one of my best skills. I was proud of my creation.

The heart and the atom charms were chosen for several important reasons. Both charms symbolize my feelings for Cindy in a way that I have never been able to put into words. I chose the heart to symbolize how much I cared for her. I chose the atom symbol because it would always remind her of me. It is my trademark insignia I put on all of my inventions and it is on all of my t-shirts I wear on a daily basis.

I looked longingly after Cindy one last time. Once she disappeared from view, I strapped my jetpack on and flew home, went into the house and up to my room, and lied down on my bed. Goddard had been waiting for me there and greeted me excitedly. My parents, thankfully, were totally oblivious and had no idea what transpired.

I had a lot of homework to finish tonight, but I was entirely too drained to work on any of it. After all, I was living 3:30 in the afternoon for the second time that day. I decided that a nap was in order so I would be refreshed and alert.

I shut my eyes and started to dream of Cindy.

* * *

_**Cindy**_

After reliving 3:30 twice in one day, I was exhausted by the time I came home from my piano lesson. Madame Jones gave me a lot of new material to practice for our next lesson on Monday. I couldn't believe the recital was several weeks away. Wisely, I took Jimmy's necklace off before I saw Madame Jones so she wouldn't question it. She and my mother were very close friends, in addition to her being my teacher. If she found out where I had gotten the necklace, my mother would be the first to know about it.

I only hoped next Friday would still be on with Jimmy. I was really counting on my karate teacher to be on vacation like he said he would be. After that, I had no idea when I'd get to see him. There had been talk from my mother that she might be gone all day the following Saturday, which would give me two opportunities in a row for Jimmy and I to spend time together. It was all dependent on her boss, who hadn't confirmed exactly what my mother would be doing that day.

When I came home, I went straight up to my bedroom to start on my homework. Mom was home, and I had to chat with her about my piano lesson for awhile. Thankfully, she didn't bring anything else up, and she didn't appear to suspect a thing about what happened to the time, so Jimmy's invention really had lived up to both of our expectations. If I do get to see him both Friday AND Saturday, I will make it up to him. I owe him so much for what he's done for me. I just couldn't thank him enough for not only getting me out of trouble with my mother for missing my piano lesson with his Time Restorer, but for pretty much _everything_. I still felt guilty about getting mad at him and hitting him. Had I known how serious he was about me this morning, I never would have done that.

On the other hand, had we not been angry with each other, I never would have gotten the apology I received in his lab, or the necklace, or the rather lengthy, but oh, so romantic make-out session. Not to mention my back hasn't felt this good in so long. He massaged all of the stress points almost out of existence.

Jimmy was an amazing boyfriend. Sometimes, I honestly didn't feel like I deserved him, especially with how I had treated him for much of fourth grade on into this entire fifth grade school year. When I was with him in the lab, he actually made me forget, for at least a few hours, that we were still kids with lots of responsibilities on our shoulders. I felt older and more independent.

How I wish I didn't miss him so much. I wanted to talk to him so badly right now, but with my mother downstairs, she would overhear me if I tried to call him. Texting or chatting with him on my computer were my only options.

Jimmy read my mind again as usual because I heard my text message alert go off on my cell phone. I picked it up to see who it was. The text was from him.

"_Hi, Cindy."_

"_Hi, Jimmy." _I replied.

I pulled out my necklace and put it back on as I waited for his response. It wasn't long before I heard my phone buzz again.

"_I miss you."_

Tears began to resurface as I closed my eyes, trying my hardest to visualize Jimmy as if he was in the room with me.

"_I miss you, too."_

Even though I lived right across the street from Jimmy, that didn't stop me from missing him, and he obviously felt the same way about me.

We text messaged back and forth about what happened today and about homework and school. My math assignment became easier because I finally understood how to do the problems. I didn't need any help tonight, but Jimmy assured me that he would still help me if I got stuck again.

I told him about how I might be able to spend the following Saturday with him in addition to Friday afternoon, and I could tell he was pretty happy by the way he responded to my news. Jimmy wanted to watch movies with me in the lab next Friday. My imagination ran wild with thoughts of Jimmy and I sitting next to each other holding hands, cuddling, and some kissing.

I was absolutely dying to go swimming next Saturday in my pool. My mother had the pool boy out a few days ago to clean our pool so that it would be ready for summer. The chlorinated water was filled back up and it was now ready to use. Lounging by the pool with Jimmy would be so romantic. The last time I'd gone swimming with Jimmy was when we explored the ocean while we were stranded on the island a few months ago. Jimmy was as equally excited about my idea as I was about his, so it was decided that we would watch movies on Friday, and if my mother left the house to myself on Saturday, we would go swimming.

I sighed dreamily. I was in love, and it felt so wonderful to finally have the boy I've always wanted.

* * *

_**Jimmy**_

I had just enough time to text Cindy before bed after finishing up my homework. While I managed to get some rest, I was still worn out, but I needed to make sure she was okay (and maybe because, regardless of the fact that she lived across the street from me, I missed her.) I found myself missing Cindy a lot more when we were apart than I used to. I knew I'd see Cindy the next day, but I longed for her just the same. I wonder if Sheen felt this same way about Libby whenever they were apart.

How could I not miss her, though? She was so gorgeous. Her presence alone made me feel important and needed, something Sheen and Carl's presence often lacked. They didn't take me or my inventions seriously the way Cindy did. Sometimes, I didn't feel like they respected me the way Cindy did because they would often do things that upset me or got on my nerves. Cindy and I used to get on each other's nerves, but we only did so to mask our real feelings which we denied for nearly a year and a half.

I'd told Libby earlier that I was in love with Cindy, but there was one person I hadn't told yet – Cindy herself. Today wasn't the right time as it would have been too obvious. Plus, I wasn't quite ready. It wouldn't be sensible to spring "I love you" on her until just the right moment. Preferably a moment when she would least expect it.

Cindy and I finished making a few plans for the time we would have together next weekend and ended our text chat for the evening. Upon hearing the news that Cindy might have the house to herself on Saturday along with having Friday free, I couldn't wait to be with her. I will make sure she has the best time with me she's ever had.

I walked over to my closet and opened it up. All I had were my atom t-shirts and several pairs of blue jeans in my closet, along with one suit I wore on occasion when my mother had me dress up for a social event. I needed a new wardrobe. Not that Cindy might not have thought I looked fine just the way I was, but now that I was dating her, I wanted to look as special for her as she did for me a few weeks ago when I took her to the park.

Cindy told me she was going to be very busy tomorrow and of course Friday with another karate lesson. With that being said, I decided to go shopping. My mother wanted me to buy some new clothes anyway, so I was pretty sure she would give me some money so I could purchase a few new things.

The next thing I needed to work on was my appearance. If I was going to go swimming with Cindy in a week, the last thing I wanted was to grace her presence looking out of shape. I probably shouldn't concern myself with that sort of thing since I'm still a kid and I'm still growing, but I had to admit that compared to Nick, my poolside appearance needed work.

Following my shopping trip tomorrow, I would exercise and cut down on the unhealthy foods.

There was a chapter in my dating book about pool dates I needed to read as well. I wasn't too well-versed in that area. I will read it over the weekend.

I jotted down a few notes on a piece of paper and dictated the list to Goddard so that he could remind me of anything I might forget.

I most certainly had my work cut out for me. I didn't have to go to such great lengths to impress Cindy. I've won her affection and then some. However, I still found myself wanting to prove to her that I could be just as good-looking and debonair as Nick or any other popular boy. I wanted her to see me for more than just your annoyingly typical boy-next-door genius with an extremely high IQ.

It's time for a new Jimmy Neutron.


	17. Transformation

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Jimmy**_

As the old adage goes, "Today is the first day of the rest of my life." Groggily, I stared at my alarm clock which was blinking 6:30 a.m. I groaned and stumbled out of bed. Today was the day I was going to start my new diet and exercise plan and buy some new clothes to change my image. I almost dreaded the thought of either one of these tasks, but when I thought of Cindy, I knew it would be well worth it.

I quickly showered and changed into my regular clothes for school, then rushed down to the kitchen to grab something to eat. My mother was at the stove fixing pancakes as my stomach started to growl fiercely. As much as I wanted to have pancakes, I knew I had to pass. Mom was incredibly shocked when she saw me grab the instant oatmeal canister out of a nearby pantry.

"You don't want any pancakes, sweetie?" she asked, concerned.

"No, mom," I replied, "I'm going on a diet. I have been eating far too many unhealthy foods and need to lose a few pounds."

Mom smiled knowingly. I had a feeling Cindy was going to be in this conversation.

"You're doing this for Cindy, aren't you?"

I turned away from her and blushed. Mom didn't know much about what Cindy and I had been up to as far as our dates have been concerned. They were very private moments I wanted to keep to myself. Still, she probably knew by now that we were an item of sorts.

I tried to come up with something to deny what my mother was saying, but when I couldn't think of anything, I ended up nodding my head yes in response to her question.

"I thought so. But you're a growing boy, Jimmy! You're not fat at all. You should have some pancakes with your father and I."

"No, mom. I'd really better not. Oatmeal is perfectly fine."

Mom turned back to the stove and started placing a dozen hot pancakes onto a plate. She wasn't too comfortable with my decision, but she relented and didn't say another word to me.

I fixed my oatmeal and ate it quickly. It was almost time for me to pick up Cindy at Libby's house, and I was in a bit of a hurry. Once I was finished, I took a few sips of my orange juice, gave my mother a quick kiss on the cheek, and raced out the door.

* * *

The school day, once again, seemed to drag on endlessly. Normally, I would have been interested in everything Miss Fowl was teaching us, but all I could think about was Cindy. Knowing full well of the consequences of what might happen if someone (other than Libby) saw us kissing, I had a difficult time pulling away from her this morning. We had formed a strong, unbreakable bond in the last few weeks of our relationship.

I couldn't believe I had to wait until next Friday for our date. It was so far away that I almost wanted to invent something to speed up my wait time, but decided against it. If it's one thing I didn't need right now, it was another one of my inventions ruining the only amazing thing in my life that's ever happened to me besides Goddard. I could wait the extra week. I could wait even a month if that was what it took for me to have another date with Cindy. That's something I would have probably said a few months ago about Betty, but never Cindy. My attraction to her and my infatuation with her were both growing by the day. While we both knew we were supposed to hate each other and that our feelings for each other at our ages seemed wrong, when we were together, it felt right. We understand and "get" each other and we've finally realized that we have a lot more in common than we ever thought we did when we still hated each other. Cindy is the only person I can truly be intimate and candid with.

The sound of the bell ringing snapped me out of my thoughts as I gathered up my books and went to my locker. Trying to be as conspicuous as possible, I snuck a peek at Cindy who was at least 10 lockers down from me fixing her hair. She took it out of her ponytail and ran a brush through it. _How I wish she would wear her hair down more often! It's so beautiful when it's down. _I thought to myself, reminiscing of all the times I've spent running my fingers through her hair at every opportunity. She is the only one who allows me to take her hair down whenever we make out, which made me feel very special. The necklace I had given her yesterday was absent around her neck, but for good reason, as we wouldn't want anyone to know how serious we were. She promised me she would wear it on our next date and every night when she went to bed.

After Cindy was done fixing her hair, I saw her take out a different kind of lip gloss from the one she had worn on our date to the park a few weeks ago. She applied some to her lips and closed the tube and put it back into her purse.

I turned back to my own locker and placed my books back into it, with the exception of the ones I would need for my homework. I picked up my backpack and headed out the door. While I was walking, I took my wallet out of my pocket and peered inside. My mother had given me $150.00, which was enough to buy a few new shirts and pants. With clothes being as expensive as they are, I knew I would have to shop wisely and only purchase items that were low-cost or were on sale, but I was reasonably sure I could find some nice outfits on a shoestring budget that would impress Cindy.

Cindy unfortunately was not able to walk home with me because she had to show up for practice a little earlier than usual, so when I met her at the bottom of the steps outside, I gave her a soft peck on her lips and waved to her. She waved back and ran off towards her house to change into her karate outfit.

Now it was time for the all-important shopping trip. I quickly went home to dispose of my book bag, told my mother that I was going to the mall, and left. The walk to the mall was a bit further than school – about twenty-five minutes. I decided to take the hover car so I could get there a little quicker, plus I could use it to store my bags so that I wouldn't have to carry them back home.

Before I left, I made a list of some clothes I had been looking at on the internet the night before that would be suitable for the kinds of dates Cindy and I would have.

* * *

For a Thursday, the mall wasn't too terribly busy. There was plenty of room for parking. While I normally wouldn't park my hovercraft in a parking lot, I felt pretty certain that no one would tamper with it while I was gone. There's not much anyone can do without the keys anyway, and I have it safeguarded with the latest high-tech security, after all. As soon as I found a spot I felt was relatively safe, I landed the hover car and went into the mall.

There is something I have to admit. I do not like to go shopping at all. It is not something that I find pleasant or enjoyable in any way whatsoever. One of the main reasons I dislike shopping is because of all of the strange looks I get from passers-by and even store clerks for my abnormally short stature. A growth spurt just _has_ to happen sometime. There are some things I would like to experiment on with Cindy that will have to wait until I am taller (e.g. wrapping my arms around her from behind or kissing her while standing, which is often a challenge as I have to stand on my tip-toes when I kiss her).

I walked past several stores and did a quick look through of some of what they had to sell. Everything was so expensive. I kept walking until I found a retail outlet store that sold major name brand clothing at drastically reduced prices called Bargain Discount Clothes – a rather strange name for a store I might add. Curious, I went in to see what I might be able to find.

Two sales associates nearly startled me upon my arrival.

"Hey little buddy, what can we help you out with? I'm Rick and this is Kelly."

I grimaced, knowing this was going to be a long, tiring shopping journey.

"Nothing right now. I'm just looking." I said as I looked around. After a moment or two, I realized I was the only person in the store which was only going to make matters all the more worse.

"Shouldn't your mother or someone be with you? You look awfully young to be here all by yourself – you must be 6 or 7 years old!" said Kelly.

Through clenched teeth I responded, "I'm eleven."

"Wow, really? You're awfully short for an eleven-year-old!" laughed Rick hysterically.

I've gotten used to these kinds of insults before, but they still hurt nonetheless. I rummaged through a couple of t-shirts in the boy's section, all the while eying the exit back out into the mall. As much as I wanted to impress Cindy, there was only so much ridicule I was willing to go through. Thankfully, they left me alone for awhile so I could browse the store by myself.

I found two t-shirts with Generation Kids Gap labels in them that retailed over $20.00 a piece. They were only about $6.00 a piece at this store. I normally wore a size small in t-shirts. Because I couldn't decide which color I liked the best, I put them both in a shopping bag and continued to search for some other clothes.

Next on my list were a few plain long-sleeve button-down shirts. I wasn't a very dressy person and since I already had a dress shirt and suit at home, I didn't really want anything too fancy. Button-down shirts had enough of a casual-dress feel to them and would be appropriate for dates that might be a little more formal, like a school dance. Much to my dismay, most of the colors were hardly flattering. I despised really bright colors. The brightest-colored shirts I owned were my custom-made atom t-shirts like the one I was currently wearing. And the last thing I wanted to do was ask Rick or Kelly for any help after how they ridiculed me earlier. For now, I settled on white, which was the only neutral color they had in a size small, and put one in my bag. It, too, was from Generation Kids Gap, but was a fraction of the cost here.

Next on my list were pants and jeans, both of which I didn't have a clue how to pick out. I was terrible at picking out clothes, and I unfortunately knew I was going to need some help with my wardrobe. Begrudgingly, I walked back over to where Rick and Kelly were standing and asked them for their assistance. Seeing as how they looked rather bored and had nothing to do, they gladly took me up on my offer. I knew I would regret it later on, but for a boy genius who knows little about fashion, I needed some advice.

_**Cindy**_

Today's lesson was killer, but I could tell throughout practice that my body was getting an excellent workout. I was the most athletic of all of my friends and it most certainly showed. I eat mostly low-fat low-carb foods so that I maintain my trim physique and my karate lessons continue to keep me in shape. The only unhealthy thing I ever splurge on is pecan ripple ice cream at The Candy Bar – my favorite.

After I got home, I went up to my room to change out of my uniform. While I was doing so, an idea came to mind. I didn't really have any clothes picked out for my next date. This time, I wanted to really wow Jimmy. I wanted to wear something a little more daring, but not too provocative. I am still a tween after all.

I have one thing going for me that Betty lacks: curve appeal. All of the workouts I've had over the years through my karate practices have toned my body considerably. I only own one outfit that shows off my body – a spacesuit I had custom-made to wear on our excursion to Mars two months ago, and the only people who know this are my friends, and most notably, Jimmy.

The main reason I wore the spacesuit was to impress Jimmy. I was falling for him hard. I didn't want to be his enemy anymore and I was starting to come to terms with my feelings for him. My heart broke when it appeared he didn't value my input and I had joined forces with Eustace to seek revenge. My stomach churned in knots just thinking about it. Jimmy was angry with me the entire way home because I betrayed him. I was only getting back at him because he hurt my feelings, but Jimmy had every right to be mad at me. Eustace was one of our enemies, and I was siding with him for entirely the wrong reasons.

Thankfully, all of that was now under the bridge. I hadn't worn the spacesuit since the Mars trip because it reminded me too much of the incident. Looking at it almost felt like a crime in itself. And I definitely knew better than to wear that outfit to school. Nick and every other boy in class would probably pay more attention to me, but it would not be the kind of attention I would want.

But when I thought of how Jimmy reacted when he saw me in that suit for the first time, a giddy thrill ran through me and a giggle escaped my lips. He almost told me while I was on Mars that the moons I was standing under made me look beautiful, but the word beautiful never came out because Carl, Sheen, and Libby had ruined the moment by gawking at us.

It was time for me to put the past in the past. I carefully took the spacesuit out of my closet and locked myself up in the bathroom to try it on again. I looked every bit as good in it as I did when I wore it two months ago. My mind was now made up. This was going to be my outfit for our movie date.

Next, I had to figure out what I was going to do for makeup. I could let Libby do it like she did for me on the date I had with Jimmy to the park a few weeks ago, or I could try to do it myself. It would probably be best if I wore the same radiation-proof makeup and lip-gloss I wore with my spacesuit the last time I wore it.

Now with the makeup situation taken care of, the only thing I had left to focus on was my hair. I could leave it in a ponytail like I did most of the time, but Jimmy loved my hair when it was down. I always allowed him to take my hair out of my ponytail whenever we made out and I enjoyed the feel of his fingertips tied in my hair as we kissed.

I wore my hair somewhat curly on our date to the park, but I have always wanted to wear it straight. I think it would look good on me, especially since my hair is so long. Luckily, I had a flat iron in my closet. I quickly left the bathroom to retrieve the flat iron, then locked myself back in again. I brushed my hair and parted it into sections, then plugged in my flat iron and allowed it to warm up for a minute or two. I quickly glided the flat iron over each section of my hair several times until I got the desired look that I wanted. I also straightened my bang and smoothed it over to the right side of my head.

When I was finished, I was amazed with the results. I often didn't think of myself as stunning or beautiful because my self-esteem about my body image has never been particularly high. But there was something about my new look that made me feel more bold, adventurous, and attractive. I could not wait to see Jimmy's reaction – I just knew he would find me irresistible. Unfortunately, our date was still a week away as reality set back in.

I quickly put my flat iron back in my closet and changed out of my spacesuit and into my regular clothes. I couldn't help but wonder what Jimmy was doing at this very moment.

_**Jimmy**_

After a rather long, exhausting day, I was back home again with my new clothes. Rick and Kelly actually did a much better job helping me find what I wanted than I thought they would. I had about $25.00 left over from my purchases that I would give back to my mother.

I was surprised at all of the clothes I had been able to purchase with her money. Discount clothing stores are definitely the way to go.

I dumped out my bag and neatly placed all of the clothes on my bed into the outfits Rick suggested – a black t-shirt and carpenter jeans (medium wash), white button-down long-sleeve oxford shirt and cargo khaki pants, a blue plaid short-sleeve shirt with black jeans, two belts (one brown and one black), two new pairs of shoes, and a pair of blue swim trunks. I tried all of them on at the store and I had to admit, I didn't look half-bad. Plus, I could wear all of these outfits in several different ways. I was not limited to the suggestions Rick gave me.

I had an idea of what I wanted to wear on my movie date with Cindy next week – the black t-shirt and medium-wash carpenter jeans. All I really needed to figure out was my hair, which I would have to do something with. I couldn't get it cut, because the way I currently wear my hair is one of my many trademarks. I rather liked the way I fixed my hair the last several times I had been with Cindy on our Valentine's date and on our news program at school several months back, but I wasn't quite sure if it would look right with a t-shirt and jeans ensemble.

At any rate, I was pleased with what I bought. I removed the tags from all of my clothes and put them in a clothes hamper to wash.

The next thing on my to-do list made me cringe – exercise. Cindy does karate and tai-chi twice a week, so exercise came easy for her. I hardly ever left my lab with the exception of the many adventures I have had. I guess you could say that all of the adventures my friends and I have had might have given me a fairly decent workout, but I still felt out of shape nonetheless.

Goddard had been able to read my mind as usual when he pointed out to me that I have a library of exercise videos in the lab. With no time to lose, I sprinted to the lab to start my workout.


	18. Feelings

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

ONE WEEK LATER…

_**Cindy**_

I _really_ missed Jimmy this past week. We hadn't seen each other much at all, especially in the mornings when we usually met up. He kept telling me he had all of these things to do. I guess I can understand, though, since I'm busy practically every day with all of the lessons and clubs my mother has me attending, but it still made me feel sad nonetheless. We couldn't interact at all during school because someone would most certainly find out what was going on between us.

I caught a glimpse of Jimmy one afternoon outside my bedroom window without his shirt on. He was doing all sorts of exercises in his room, which was out of character for him. Jimmy was always in his lab inventing or working on homework. We didn't go on any adventures anymore, but even with that said, Jimmy exercising was not typical of him. He was active enough in gym or at recess.

I couldn't help but sigh dreamily when I saw him shirtless that day. I've seen Jimmy without a shirt on before, but he looked different this time – in a good way. Jimmy's intellect is one of the main reasons I became attracted to him, but that's not the only reason. He's also very good-looking. I could go on all day about his perfect lips, his amazing blue eyes, his soft, smooth skin, and his cute, but rather crazy hair, but that would bore almost anyone to death, especially those who don't like Jimmy at all.

Other than Libby, Jimmy Neutron is my world. He's everything to me. He makes my life worth living and gives me a purpose in life. His love of math and science and his eagerness to teach me everything he knows about both subjects captivates me. I love to learn and he makes it interesting.

When Jimmy first moved to Retroville, I immediately developed a crush on him. I loved the fact that he was a genius and was impressed with his intelligence. The only reason being the second smartest person in school bothered me at all was because my mother constantly pressured me to be better than him. At the tender young age of 8, I bought into all of the stories my mother made up about Jimmy. Stories that weren't even true. She even taught me how to pick on him and mock him – basically how to hurt Jimmy's feelings and get his goat. Before I knew it, what started out as a promising friendship turned into a hate relationship, then a love/hate relationship. At least when we got to the love/hate stage, I knew we had made some progress.

All of the time I spent ridiculing him and sniping at him was wasted time that I would never get back, which made me feel extremely upset and guilty. Jimmy was born a genius. It was a natural gift. A rare gift. Some people are born with a natural tendency to learn, comprehend, and understand things quickly at a young age. Jimmy is that person – he has that genius DNA in him. I don't. It took a lot of hard work, time, and practice for me to be the best. That didn't bother me, but it most certainly bothered my mother because she gave me many reasons to let it bother me. Reasons that now, looking back on it, were quite inane.

At least all of that is under the bridge now. Jimmy and I already have expressed our feelings, and we're steady boyfriend and girlfriend. We're very serious about each other.

When I woke up this morning, I was somehow still stuck in a Thursday mode for some reason, but when I looked at the date underneath the time on my alarm clock, I realized it was now Friday. Our movie date was this afternoon – our next date was finally here already. I could not believe it!

I was so tired last night that I had forgotten to lay out my outfit for the date. I quickly scrambled out of bed and hastily got dressed, put my usual light makeup on, and brushed my hair into a tall ponytail, then took my spacesuit out of the closet and put it in a bag along with my straightening iron, the necklace Jimmy gave me to wear, and my radiation-proof makeup and lip-gloss. The game plan was to run the bag over to Libby's so that my mother won't suspect anything. After school, I'll dress at Libby's and fix my hair and makeup while I'm there. When the date is finished, I'll go back to Libby's house to change back into my regular clothes before heading home.

In addition to my karate instructor being out of town, my mother would not be home until at least 9:00 that night. That meant I could spend many hours in Jimmy's lab. Hours that would most likely be spent rather intimately. I couldn't wait!

After I double-checked to make sure I had everything I needed, I left my room and quickly walked down the steps. Running in my house wasn't allowed because it wasn't lady-like or proper – one of my mother's many ridiculous rules that I hardly agreed with. At home, I wasn't eleven years old. I felt more like I was an adult in boot camp. My mother has made me grow up entirely too fast for my liking.

I grabbed an apple and a banana from the fridge along with my lunch for school and made my way towards the door. Just when I thought I was almost home free, my mother stopped me.

"Cynthia, what on earth is in that brown bag you are carrying?"

_I *knew* I should have tried to fit that bag into my backpack before I left! _ I thought, mentally kicking myself.

Worry soon started to kick in a moment or two later. I used some quick thinking to come up with the best lie that I could while I attempted to keep the bag closed, hoping she wouldn't peek inside.

"N-nothing," I stammered, putting on my best smile. "Just some things I borrowed from Libby that I'm returning to her."

Arching one of her eyebrows suspiciously, she didn't push the issue any further even though I could tell she didn't seem to buy my entire story.

"Well, as you know, I won't be home until nine tonight. When you are finished with your karate practice, I want you to come straight home. I realize it is Friday, but I am not in the mood for visitors today. You are to report to your room and work on your homework. After you are finished, you may watch some television before bed."

I nodded my head in compliance. Mom had no idea my karate instructor was out of town for the weekend and I wasn't about to tell her.

"Have a good day at school and don't let that Neutron boy get to you. You are the best no matter what anyone tells you."

I sighed. I just wanted to get out of there.

"Yes, mother," I said, putting on another phony smile.

She then turned and walked away, allowing me to exit my house. I was running late today, but I was pretty sure Jimmy wasn't going to be meeting up with me this morning. At least I didn't think so.

I sprinted towards Libby's house at lightning speed. I had to drop my clothes off before I went to school.

When I reached Libby's house, Jimmy was waiting to greet me. He smiled warmly and gestured for me to approach him.

I had no idea he was even going to be there. I still needed to put my bag in Libby's room. If Jimmy sees what's in it, the surprise will be ruined.

I stopped just long enough to peck Jimmy's cheek. "I have to drop something off in Libby's room really quick. Wait for me?"

Jimmy frowned and pouted, but nodded his head in understanding.

"Give me just two minutes. I promise!" I called to him as I ran into Libby's house.

Libby was still in her room when I reached her door. I knocked quickly and just loud enough for her to hear over her music.

"Hey, girl! Is your outfit for the movie date in that bag?" Libby greeted me with excitement.

"Yes, it is. I'm leaving it in your room because I don't want my mother to find out. Is that all right?" I asked, as I looked pleadingly into Libby's eyes.

She smiled. "Cin, you know you can always leave anything here with me. I won't let anyone take it."

Curiously, Libby looked in the bag. Her eyes widened when she saw the spacesuit.

"All Jimmy could talk about after we came home from Mars a few months ago was how amazing you looked in that spacesuit. He told me he really liked your…um…curves." She giggled.

My face turned red as I turned away from Libby. I couldn't believe what I'd heard and it took me several minutes to process what she had said.

"He…he really said that?"

Libby put a hand on my shoulder. "Cindy, Jimmy and I have had these sorts of chats about you for awhile now. He's liked you for a long time, you know. I'm just happy you two are finally together. That's all that matters."

I smiled. "Me too. I like him a lot. More than I ever thought I could like any boy. "

I then glanced at my watch. It had been much longer than I'd thought. Jimmy would likely be wondering where I was at any moment. Libby and I left her room and bounded down the stairs. Thankfully, Jimmy didn't appear too upset for keeping him waiting.

"You two go on ahead. I'm gonna catch the bus today." Libby said as she walked away from us, heading towards the bus stop.

After Libby was out of sight, Jimmy entwined his fingers in mine as we began the trek to school.

We normally walked in silence, but it only took a few moments for Jimmy to speak.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy this week," he said quietly as we walked, "I-I just hope you will like what I have planned for our date this afternoon. I want it to be special."

I squeezed Jimmy's hand. "Jimmy…being with you is always special. I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. I like being with you. Very much."

Jimmy smiled as he put his arm around my waist, looking around cautiously before doing so. As risky as it was for him to do this in public, I didn't care at the moment. Deep down, I knew something was happening with us. We were getting more serious about each other and becoming closer than ever.

_**Jimmy**_

Timing was everything with Cindy this weekend. I haven't felt more confident about our relationship than I did right at this very moment. It was time for me to tell her the words I have wanted to say for a long time, and this weekend would be the absolute perfect time to do it.

I kept looking at the clock, waiting for the bell to ring. Only several more minutes and I would be off to the lab for our date. My clothes were already hanging in my bedroom ready to wear. My diet, on the other hand, was only a small success. I lost 5 pounds in the last week, but that was about all. I don't really feel any better about my appearance than I did before, but it will have to do.

The impending sound of the bell snapped me out of my thoughts. It was time. Cindy and I pretended to ignore each other to keep up appearances as we headed to our respective lockers to grab our belongings and head home for the weekend. It was so hard to believe that in about a month, we'd be out of school for summer vacation. I had to get my confession out to her this weekend so she would finally know where we stand.

I never thought it would be even remotely possible for me to fall in love at such a young age. I didn't know what was happening to me. First it was hatred – Cindy's constant teasing led me to believe that she didn't like me at all and I felt the same way. Then, it was love/hate – we still got in arguments and teased each other, but then we would have a moment where we would actually get along…even a few near-kisses. After that, it changed to a sort of half-friendship, half-love, where we both were still uncertain about how we felt, but we knew we liked each other very much and were more willing to explore our feelings and take chances. Finally, we hit the infatuation stage – Cindy has the most perfect figure and beauty of anyone I've ever been with. My kissing experiments allowed me to become intimate with her in a way that I never felt was possible. I've fulfilled as much of the "boyfriend" expectations as I could and Cindy appears to be fairly satisfied with the way we have been progressing as a couple.

But what I am feeling now is a lot more than infatuation. It's more powerful than any feeling I've ever had for anyone. Not even Betty or April made me feel the way Cindy does.

My date with Cindy at the pool was on Saturday. It'll be too perfect. After we have some fun playing a few games in the pool, I will kiss her…maybe make out with her a little. Then, I will confess my love for her right there. I'll even make a ring for her to wear along with my necklace to seal the deal. It just has to work – if I don't confess to her this weekend, I might not have the chance to do so again for a long time.

I used to think being a boy genius wasn't easy, but these days that part of me is now a walk on the face of Mars compared to the big leap of faith I was about to take with Cindy Vortex this weekend.


	19. Movies in the Lab

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron.

_**Cindy**_

I wanted to get to Libby's as quickly as possible to change into my date clothes and I knew the school bus would be the quickest way there. Jimmy was on the bus too, but he sat with his friends so as not to cause any suspicion among the rest of our schoolmates.

All I could think about the whole ride to the bus stop was our date. Jimmy had no idea I would be wearing my flight suit. I wanted it to be a surprise.

I still couldn't help but worry about all of the things that could go wrong – would he like the outfit I chose? What if Jimmy's friends were to come over unannounced and find us together? What if my mother were to come home early and find out that my karate practice was actually canceled and that I was really with Jimmy instead? What if I accidentally stayed later than I was supposed to and got reprimanded for it? What if Jimmy and I don't have a good time?

These are all things I know I shouldn't worry much about, but I couldn't help it. Every day, I'm forced to sneak around my mother's back while I date Jimmy, hoping she won't find out. It's certainly no way to live, but I have no other choice. I knew this was what I wanted a long time ago but never had the courage to tell him how I felt.

Libby's bus stop fast approached, snapping me out of my contemplative stupor. I gathered up my book bag and purse. When the bus came to a full and complete standstill, with a spring in my step, I quickly got off the bus with Libby in tow. Jimmy had already gotten off two stops before Libby's which I barely even noticed because I had been entirely too busy daydreaming about the events to come.

We made it to her house in less than five minutes. I ran up to her room to make sure that my flight suit was still in Libby's room. It was. The last time I felt this excited was when I wore my suit for the first time several months ago to impress him on Mars. Now that I'm his steady, wearing it will be even more memorable and exciting. I loved impressing him with my figure then, and I will relish it even more now.

"Hey Libbs!" I asked, making my way to her bathroom to shower, "Is it all right if I use your shower?"

Libby was sitting on her bed flipping through a magazine. "Oh sure, girl, go ahead. I'm currently using some apple shampoo and body wash – I hope that's all right."

I smiled and nodded. "That's great! Thanks."

I took a 15 minute shower, washing every inch of my skin and hair. I love apples. That's my second favorite scent next to jasmine, and Libby has told me in the past that Jimmy loves both of those scents. Her apple shampoo and body wash were _so good_. I could tell she bought only the best products.

After showering, I slipped into my flight suit and put a towel around my neck so that my wet hair would not ruin my outfit. Then I took Libby's blow dryer out of her closet and started drying my hair.

It took me about 15 minutes to dry my hair. I have a lot of it and because it's so thick, it takes forever to dry. I put Libby's hairdryer away and grabbed my flat iron, divided my hair up into sections, and glided it over my hair quickly as I had done the other day until I got my desired look once again. It was amazing what I could do with just a few things I had lying around my house that I rarely ever used.

I left Libby's bathroom after I was finished and went to grab my makeup. Libby gazed up from her magazine again and looked me over up and down.

"Cindy, you look hot. Jimmy's going to have a hard time keeping his hands and his lips off of you!"

I blushed a deep red. No one has said I was hot before – that was a new one. I couldn't help but laugh at what Libby just said, though. Jimmy and I have made out several times, but we aren't that physical with each other. We're much too young for that.

"Jimmy's a gentleman when he's with me. He knows where to put his hands and his lips. Plus, he's seen me in this outfit before. I just want to wow him again because he means so much to me. He's worth it. I don't wear this outfit for anyone else but him."

Libby smiled. "I know, girl. I was just joking. Hey, do you want me to help you put your radiation-proof makeup on?"

"Sure," I said, as I rummaged through my makeup bag. "You're much better with makeup than I am anyway. You did a great job with my makeup on my last date with Jimmy."

I handed Libby all of my makeup and sat patiently down on her bed, ready for her to work her magic on my face. Only half an hour to go until I make my way to Jimmy's lab. I could hardly contain myself. Watching a movie with him will be so romantic!

_**Jimmy**_

T-minus thirty minutes until my date with Cindy. I didn't really know quite how to feel. Part of me couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous. This will be the first time I have dressed in something other than my regular clothes to impress someone. I rather liked my carpenter jeans and black t-shirt combination the best. They had a more relaxed fit than my regular jeans. The black t-shirt fit a little tighter than my red atom t-shirt, which I believe Cindy would most certainly approve of.

After I changed and fixed my hair, I went through my movies in the lab to find one that Cindy might enjoy. Most of my DVDs consisted of documentaries that would likely bore Cindy and bring our date to a rather abrupt ending. These kinds of films would not be appropriate for our date. Out of nowhere, I stumbled upon a movie that I knew she would like; a movie very similar to an adventure we had about a year ago with an alien abduction of an entire town, and a group of kids on Earth who went into space to try to bring everyone back home. It was the perfect choice with tons of action and adventure.

I put the DVD case on top of my DVD player and made a quick call to Krazy Kevin's pizza to order us a meal. Cindy was always very conscientious about her figure and from what Libby has told me, her favorite pizza is an all-vegetable pizza, which this establishment happens to have on their menu. I ordered a medium half-vegetable/half-cheese pizza with a couple of 20 ounce bottles of Purple Flurp to go with it.

With the movie choice and dinner squared away, all there was left for me to do was wait for the pizza delivery man and Cindy. This evening was going to be perfect. No one knew about our date except for Libby. Carl and Sheen were out of town at an Ultra Lord convention for the weekend. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

_**Cindy**_

Libby as usual did a spectacular job on my makeup. My dark radiation-proof lipgloss made my lips really stand out. The dark eyeshadow brought out the green in my eyes, and the blush added some much-needed color to my cheeks. All I needed was Jimmy's necklace to complete the outfit. I had it laid out on Libby's dresser. She carefully put it around my neck and closed the clasp. Now, I was ready. And, it was time for me to leave.

Libby hugged me at the bottom of her staircase. "Cin, you're going to blow Jimmy away. I want to hear all of the details when you get back, or else!"

I returned her embrace and grinned. "I will. You can count on that."

We both said our goodbyes and I left, feeling more confident about myself than I had ever felt in my entire life. I felt this way throughout my entire walk until I started to see Jimmy's house up ahead. Suddenly, my stomach started to churn as my nerves began to unravel. I had no reason to be uneasy, but I couldn't help but feel that way all the same. The unknown was something I was always afraid of and with each date I had with Jimmy, there was always that sense of worry about the unknown. I just wanted a perfect, flawless date with my boyfriend.

I walked around to the back of Jimmy's house and straight for his lab. When I got to the welcome mat, rather than the floor coming out from under my feet and dropping me into his lab as was usually the norm, the door opened. I cautiously walked inside. I didn't even have to knock, so it was obvious that Jimmy saw me outside.

"Jimmy?" I said timidly as I scanned the lab looking for him.

Several moments later, I found him. He was opening up a pizza box, taking two pieces out, and putting them on two separate plates. My mouth began to water as I saw him take out a piece of vegetable pizza – my favorite!

That wasn't all I noticed. He had on a tight black shirt and a pair of relaxed jeans. His hair was slicked back into a casual hairstyle. Gone was his usual hairstyle, at least for tonight. Hunk muffin was no longer an accurate way to describe the way he looked at that moment. He was strikingly perfect.

Jimmy looked up from what he was doing. Upon seeing my appearance his jaw dropped.

"C-Cindy…" He said quietly, as he slowly advanced towards me.

_**Jimmy**_

She was wearing the outfit. Not just any outfit, but THE outfit. Nothing else showed off Cindy's figure better than her tight-fitting flight suit. Her hair was down and perfectly straight. Her curves intoxicated my senses. The necklace I gave her was around her neck. She was beyond perfect…she was irresistibly gorgeous. The kind of girl so many boys around my age dream about. Never in a million years did I ever think Cindy possessed this kind of beauty. Betty Quinlan was now nothing more than a distant memory. Cindy Vortex is more of a woman than Betty will ever be.

I made my way towards her slowly, taking everything in. I had no idea what to say or what to do.

"Cindy…you look…..wow." I whispered quietly with what I could tell was one of the most embarrassing grins I probably ever had on my face.

"Hunk muffin…" Cindy swooned. Her commentary about my appearance made my face turn a deep red. No one has called me a hunk before. I never thought of myself as one, anyway. That kind of a title was usually reserved for Nick – not me.

It took us several minutes to get out of our daydream-like states, but the aroma of our pizza quickly brought us back down to Earth. Cindy, from what I could tell, appeared to be just as hungry as I was.

"I ordered us a pizza. I hope you like what I chose." I said as we sat down to eat.

"I do. Very much." She said, picking up her slice.

We spent the next fifteen minutes eating our meal in silence. Cindy only ate one piece which worried me somewhat. As much as I love her figure, I want to make sure she is getting enough food. She, on the other hand, reassured me that she was fine and that one piece was more than enough.

I cleaned up our trash and put the remaining pieces of pizza into a container to eat for later. After that, I put the movie into the DVD player and turned on my large-screen TV. Pressing the play button on my remote, I made my way back over to the couch to make myself comfortable. I sat next to Cindy and put my arm around her attractive, slender figure, pulling her close to me. She looked into my eyes nervously. I pressed my forehead against hers and thumbed her cheek.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Y-yeah. It's been awhile since we've been alone and I guess I'm a little nervous."

I smiled and brushed my lips against hers. "Cindy, you have nothing to be nervous about. I picked out a great movie I think you'll really like. I'm having a great time with you."

Cindy smiled and began to relax a little. Several minutes into the film, I felt her head lying against my shoulder with one of her hands pressed gently against my chest. I curiously traced Cindy's curves on the left side of her body. She began to relax more, reacting positively to my tender touch.

Halfway into the film, I became rather bored. The adventure I had with Cindy and the rest of my friends on Yolkus when we rescued our parents was much more exciting than the events that were taking place in this movie. While it did have its moments when it could be interesting, it wasn't nearly as interesting as my adventures were. Cindy started to yawn, raising her head from my shoulder to stretch her arms.

After Cindy stretched, she looked into my eyes again, and I looked back into hers. The only light in the room was that of the movie in the background. That was enough to make her flight suit glow, just as it did when we were on Mars a few short months ago. Hesitantly, I began to feel her curves starting around her sides and ending at her hips. I was respectful of her boundaries and made sure that where I was touching was not inappropriate. As a gentleman, I respected Cindy a great deal and truly appreciated her beauty.

After several minutes of timorous exploration, I wrapped Cindy into a warm embrace and held her for a long time. I tangled my fingertips into her long blonde hair, taking in her fragrant apple scent.

"Jimmy, you are so romantic…" She whispered, lying her head against my shoulder once more with a faint smile on her lips.

"You're amazing, Cindy. I've never felt this way about anyone before. You're the missing piece of the puzzle. Not Betty Quinlan. I'm sorry for all of the times I made you jealous. You complete me and make me feel whole."

The words that came out of my mouth at that moment amazed me. To imagine an eleven-year-old boy genius saying these things to a girl I used to loathe, yet we had been through so much together.

"You mean that?" She asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Cindy, on the outside we may be preteens, but on the inside, both of us have matured a great deal. We've been through a lot together – more than most kids our age will ever experience in their lifetimes. I really care about you. A lot. I can't imagine what my life would even be like if you weren't in it."

Suddenly, as if on-cue, I felt my eyes begin to close. We hadn't engaged much in the way of kissing on this particular date, but there was something about everything I said to her that made me feel empowered to kiss her - a simple display of affection to show her how appreciated and loved she really is.

My lips began to hover over hers, just seconds away from contact, when the most unthinkable, unfortunate event happened. I heard voices coming from my view-screen. Voices I did not want to hear. Not now!

"Hey, Jimmy!" screeched Sheen with a bewildered and confused Carl standing next to him. The UltraLord convention was canceled so we decided to hang with you instead. Let us in!"

Cindy gasped in panic, jumping off the couch and out of my arms.

"Neutron, what are they doing here? You said no one would be here!"

I cringed at Cindy's use of my surname. "I know, Cindy, I know. That UltraLord Convention was supposed to keep them away all weekend. I have no idea what happened."

"Please tell them to leave! If they see me with you, we're dead. They'll go tell their friends who will tell their friends and then my mom will find out and I won't get to see you again!"

Sighing exasperatedly, I made my way towards the front door of the lab. "Cindy, you probably might want to hide someplace if you don't want to be seen. I'll take care of Sheen and Carl."

The tears that were welling up in Cindy's eyes were the last thing I wanted to see. I would have to make it up to her later. I had other problems to tend to at the moment. She quickly ran to find a place to hide while I answered the door.

The second I opened the door, Sheen and Carl sprinted in, nearly knocking me over.

"Hey, Jimmy. Nice outfit." Sheen remarked, eyeing my attire.

"Guys, I'm really busy right now. You'll have to come back another time." I said, silently praying that Cindy was well-hidden.

"Aw, c'mon, Jimmy. There's not another UltraLord episode on for several hours and we're bored. What kinds of awesome new inventions do you have for us to play with?"

"I don't have any new inventions for you to touch, and even if I did, you still wouldn't be allowed to "play" with them."

I moaned. Getting them out of here was going to be difficult.

_**Cindy**_

I could not believe that one moment, I was wrapped up in Jimmy's arms, and the next, I'm hiding from his friends. Sure, they know we had been on at least one date to the park, but they didn't know how serious we were about each other. They didn't know how intimate we had become. And I wasn't about to have them see me in the outfit I was currently wearing - they would know for a fact what was going on. With Sheen and Carl being the blabbermouths they are, my mother would find out about Jimmy and I in no time at all.

Tears silently streamed down my face. This wasn't how our date was supposed to go at all. Everything was so perfect until they showed up – just as I had imagined it would be. Something in the back of my mind was telling me that the confession was coming. I just didn't know when.

I wanted to be back in Jimmy's protective embrace again. I hated being alone in this dark closet.

About twenty minutes later, I heard Jimmy knock. I hadn't told him where I was hiding so it was obvious he was probably searching everywhere for me. I opened the door and let Jimmy in. He quickly shut the door behind him.

"Cindy, Carl and Sheen are still here. I've tried everything known to man to get rid of them, but they won't leave. I'll have to sneak you out the back way up through my chute. I'm so sorry our date has to end so abruptly. I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow when we go swimming. Please don't be mad at me."

Before I even had time to react, Jimmy encircled his arms around my waist and thumbed the few remaining tears on my face, then leaned in and started kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around him and melted into the kiss. His tongue softly brushed against mine briefly before we pulled away.

"I didn't get to kiss you as much as I wanted tonight, so I hope this will suffice until I see you again tomorrow."

"It does." I murmured quietly, looking into his eyes. "I just want to ask one thing more of you before I leave."

"What is it?" He replied softly.

"Can you hold me again, just for a few more minutes, like you did when we were on the couch earlier?"

Jimmy nervously looked at his watch. "Carl and Sheen are going to wonder where I am soon…but I can postpone dealing with them for a few minutes more. I'll do anything to make you happy."

Beaming, Jimmy pulled me back into his arms. I gently rubbed his back while I leaned my head against his shoulder. Jimmy massaged my back, ran his fingers through my hair, and softly pecked my lips one last time.

With the few remaining minutes we had left, Jimmy snuck me out of the closet and had me stand where the chute would suck me up. Jimmy regretted doing this because he knew the ride out was often bumpy and I often landed on my behind whenever I used to get thrown out of his lab.

"I hate doing this to you, Cindy. I hope this doesn't hurt too much." He said, pressing a button. A capsule appeared and closed itself around me. We waved goodbye to each other as the capsule made its way up and out of the lab. I ended up outside where I landed on my behind, but luckily, it didn't hurt very much.

Looking at my watch, I realized it was only about 7:00. My mother wouldn't be home for at least another two hours. While I was disappointed that our movie date had to end so suddenly, at least we would have our swimming date tomorrow. As I was making my way back to Libby's house to change back into my regular clothes, Jimmy sent me a text message letting me know that he couldn't wait to see me tomorrow and apologized again for tonight. I smiled, knowing that Jimmy really did care. It wasn't his fault that his friends showed up unannounced. Neither one of us could have possibly foreseen the UltraLord convention being canceled so there was no way either of us could have known.

There was no use denying how I felt for Jimmy. He's not the only one whose world would be turned upside down if I wasn't in his life. My world wouldn't be the same without him either. I needed him as much as he needed me. All I need to hear from him now is three simple words. I want Jimmy Neutron to tell me he loves me. Why else would he tell me that I complete him and make his life whole? There wouldn't be any other reason for him to say that to me. Jimmy has to love me. He just has to!


End file.
